Till Death Parts Us
by Charlotte Clark
Summary: This is the fourth story, follows Tommorow is Another Day, The Momento,and Sentimental Genstures. It is important to read the stories in order to get a good timeline of how Sookie and Eric have come to this point, the planning of a wedding....
1. Chapter 1

"Sam, did you hear me?" She held her breath due to the long, silent pause.

"Yeah, I heard you Sook. Just need a minute to process, that's all." His voice was nervous.

"OK, I understand. Do you want to talk about this another time? Do you want me to come back later?" The biggest news was still yet to come.

"No, no…I'm just worried that I won't be able to replace you." "Sam, there's tons of people that can sling drinks in Bon Temps." She replied reassuringly.

"I don't mean replace you as a waitress Sookie. I meant that I'll never be able to replace, _you._ I love having you around. You're more than just my employee." His voice trailed off, it was sad and low. "You are my friend, my _true friend. _I just wish…"

She cut him off, she knew exactly what he wished and she couldn't bear to hear him say it.

"Sam, I'm still your friend. I'm just going to be a little further away. It's not like Shreveport is in California. I'll still be around. If you ever need me to fill in you know I'll be right here. If you ever just want to hang out and talk. I'm always here Sam." Her voice was sweet but her heart was heavy.

Sam's eyes were gray with the sadness that he felt due to her leaving. He ran his hands through his already messy strawberry waves.

"Sam…there's more." She paused and waited for him to nod to go on. "I haven't really told anyone yet, it just happened, I'm still kind of in shock." She was stumbling on how to get the words out. She looked down at her left hand and she smiled. She felt the courage and the strength to push ahead with the conversation. She held her head high and looked directly in Sam's eyes, "Sam, Eric asked me to marry him, and I said yes!" She beamed when the words escaped her lips. She was actually glowing as she heard the words and felt them come off of her tongue. To feel it again she repeated, "I'm marrying Eric."

Sam looked at her, not knowing if he should grab her and run away so no one could ever find them, grab her and hug her because she was so happy and excited, or grab the next guy that walked through the door and beat him unconscious to vent his hurt. He took a deep, startled, and concerned breath.

"Sookie, is this what you want? Really, really what your heart wants? It's one thing to date a vamp and to be around them. It's another world to marry one." His voice was gentle but full of questions and concern. Anyone else and she would have turned around and huffed right out of that bar. Instead she took his hand in hers and looked at him.

"Sam, I have never been more certain of anything. I love him with everything I have. He loves me with everything he has. We are already bonded to one another, all we are doing is making it legal. I trust him with my life, he trust's me with his. There is nothing that we wouldn't do for each other. I am certain. I hope you can accept this." Her eyes willed him to accept her decision. There was a long and almost uncomfortable silence while he looked at the bar in front of them. Finally he returned her look.

"Sookie, I've said it before. I don't like him and I don't have to. What is important is that he loves you and he protects you. I know that he does, every time he looks at you I see it. If this is what you want then I am thrilled for you. I want nothing more than for you to be happy. I'm just sorry I couldn't be the one to make you feel this way. I love you Sook. I'm happy that you are getting married, I will be there every step of the way." He grabbed her and gave her a hug with the strength of a lion.

As soon as she felt the sincerity behind him she cried tears of joy. The moment became real to her, she was getting married. She was getting married to Eric, the one thing on this Earth that made her feel complete and beautiful and cherished. Her body was overcome by a sensation of pure joy and pride and tenderness. Eric was feeling her through their bond. This was really happening.

As she pulled out of Sam's arms she laughed as she realized that her face was going to be stained with tears. She didn't realize that some of the bar patron's and the employee's had been watching them. They all looked at them with puzzled faces.

"Back to your drinks, show's over." Sam playfully shouted.

Of course Arlene happened to be working that day. She had ignored her the entire time she was there. Didn't even acknowledge her presence when she walked in the door. Every now and then she would get a few stray thoughts out of her head, even though her shields were in overdrive. _Hell She'll burn in hell Miss her so much Evil creatures Jesus will punish her Hope she's finally leaving I miss talking to her Witch._

She felt bad about the way things had turned out, they used to be such good friends. She knew as soon as Arlene got involved with that group that it would never be the same, she knew it was just a matter of time. Since she was in such a good mood she decided not to taunt her with her news.

"Have a good night Arlene, I'll see ya when I see ya." She waved and walked towards the door.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Arlene was snippy.

""Exactly what I said, I'll see ya when I see ya. I've told Sam that it would be best if I bowed out. I'm leaving Merlotte's, I'm moving to Shreveport. I think it's best for everyone." She gave her a wave of her hand and walked through the door before any more could be said. As she walked by Arlene was certain she saw the sparkle of a very new, very large diamond ring.


	2. Chapter 2

_She drove over to her house, well technically, Amelia's. She had promised her that she would come by after she saw Sam. She still hadn't told her about the wedding news, she wanted to do it face to face. She pulled into the familiar drive and smiled. She loved this house, she loved the sound the gravel made under her tires, she thought of Eric. She pulled the phone from her pocket and pressed the preset speed dial._

"_Lover, are you coming home to me." even his voice through a cell phone sent shivers down her spine._

"_Not yet, I just left Merlotte's. I'm stopping by to see Amelia right now. I was just pulling into my driveway and I thought of you. What time will you be home from work." He voice was borderline whiny and begging._

"_I should not be that late, there are no __distractions_ here to occupy my time. Tell me, did you tell the shifter?" 

"Are you calling me a distraction? I can think of a lot better things to call me? And yes, I did tell _Sam." _She had been asking him for months to call him by his name. Sometimes he remembered, sometimes he didn't. "It went very well, he is happy for me…for us." He could feel how happy she was.

"I'm happy to hear that. Now, get done with that witch friend of yours and get your beautiful ass home so I can touch you, kiss you…fuck you." His voice was dripping with lust. As soon as she heard the words she felt her insides start to burn.

"Is that a promise?" She teased back.

"Not a promise, a fact. Hurry home lover, I have plans for us. I love you." The phone clicked dead. She didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. Her cheeks were flushed and her mind was dizzy thinking about the night still to come. She got out of the car and walked right into her old kitchen.

Amelia met her and grabbed her for a long, swaying hug. "Sookie, I have missed you _so_ much. It's just not the same without you here. Want some coffee, cocktail, anything?" She was so excited.

"No honey, I'm fine. The house looks great, you're doing me proud. I miss you too. So, how's Tray, happy with the new living situation I'm sure?" She looked at her and grinned.

"Well yeah, we've had sex like everywhere. It's nice knowing that no one is coming walking through the door. Plus, that security system Eric had installed is super crazy." She was always one for sharing.

"Wow, way too much info Amelia. You stayed out of me and Eric's room though, right?" She looked around hoping that her and Tray hadn't christened her private space.

"Of course not, I would never do that, besides, I have no idea what the code to the lock is. Eric set it, remember?" She thought back to the last night they were here together. Eric had a special lock put on their private area, safety first.

"Alright then…" She motioned for her to come and sit with her in the living room. She looked around and remembered making love to Eric in front of the fire. She remembered the time they laid in front of the fire while he was without his memory, when they talked and listened to each other. It pulled at her heart and made it ache, she was happy. "Amelia, do you remember the other night? Do you remember the conversation we had when I called here late" She questioned her teasingly.

"This would be the night that you told that dead Viking that you would move in with him? We talking about the same night?" She laughed.

"Yup, that would be the one. Well, I finally told Sam that I was going to have to leave the bar. It just isn't going to work with me being so far away." She had purposely hid her hands in her pockets to make sure Amelia didn't spot the sparkler. "It was hard, I love working for Sam. He's been the best boss I've ever had, he's my friend. I'm gonna miss that place so much." She let her voice trail off.

"Oh, Sook…it will be ok. I'm sure Sam understands. You know that he only wants you to be happy. I can put a spell on him if you want, you know, make him forget that you quit. He'll just go about his day to day stuff and keep thinking it's just your day off." She was smirking a little.

"Seriously…that won't be necessary. He took the news pretty well. Besides, he knows that my husband is really going to want me to be at home with him as much as possible." She paused for a moment and kept talking. "He understands, really. He knows that it would just be a pain in the behind to drive back and forth each day." She paused and looked at Amelia. She was nodding her head, completely agreeing that it was a good decision. And then she saw her eyes, it was like she needed to rewind the conversation about thirty seconds.

"I'm sorry, did you just say your _husband. _Did you just say _HUSBAND, Sookie!_" She shrieked and flapped her hands at her sides. She pulled her hands out of her pockets and flashed her left hand in front of her face. She waved it back and forth and laughed as it caught the light.

"You bitch, you've been here for how long and you didn't tell me! I can't believe you. Oh Sookie, I am so happy for you. I knew you would end up marrying him, I knew the night he came here when Victor was helping Felipe take over. I knew right then that he was it." She grabbed her and hugged her. She was genuinely happy for her friend. "You have no idea how happy I am for you, really. You deserve to be happy Sookie."

"Thank you, I am very happy. I can't wait to marry him. I wish my Gran was here to see me get married. She wouldn't care that Eric's a vampire, she would see how happy he makes me and that would be all she needed." She thought about her Gran

"She is here with you Sook. She's with you everyday, you just can't see her." Her words meant more than she knew. "So…details. I want to know when, where, how, sex, all of it." She always wanted details.

"Well, believe it or not, we were leaving Bill's, just the other night. I went there to tell Bill that while he was gone Eric and I fell in love…again… and decided to move in together. It did not go well, as you can imagine. I wouldn't let Eric tell him because I thought it would be easier coming from me, so I went over to his house. Amelia he was so angry, he was like something I've never seen before. He was grabbing, yelling, and shaking me. I didn't know who he was." Her voice was intense.

"Bill hurt you? He actually physically hurt you?" She was surprised.

"Yes, but I really don't think he meant to. It's like he had no idea what he was actually doing. Anyway, Eric felt me and knew I was scared and hurt. He crashed into Bill's house and gave this long speech about him loving me and spending the rest of his life showing me. He yelled at Bill for hurting me, you know, in the past. I watched him telling Bill, of all people how much he loved me. Amelia, it was incredible. He was standing in front of my first love, who still apparently loves me, and he was laying it all out on the table." Her eyes were bright with the memory of his words. "He was just so matter of fact. I love her, she loves me, deal with it. There was no rubbing his nose in it, there was no waiving our relationship in front of him. It wasn't to make him feel bad, it was to get the words out and to move on." She smiled and looked at her friend.

"So, he didn't kill Bill for attacking you? Wow, was it because you wouldn't let him? Did you jump in between them and break the hole vamp takes vamp out thing up?" She seemed pretty concerned that she hadn't heard of Bill's final death.

"Oh no, he didn't kill him. He punched him out cold, but didn't finally kill him. I told him that I didn't think he knew what he was doing. I couldn't live with myself if I let him kill Bill, it just wouldn't be right. Besides, I think seeing me and Eric happy is harder than death to him." She nudged her friend.

"I suppose your right. Bill has been kind of toxic to you though, I'd of just let him kill him and gotten on with it. No harm no foul, that's what I always say. But back to happier thoughts. So, when did this ring come in to play?" She grabbed her hand and pointed to the engagement ring.

"OK, we left Bill's after that whole episode. Of course we were walking out, but Eric being Eric, turned around and went back inside. They exchanged some words, I guess it's better to say that Eric yelled and Bill kind of argued…I was outside and didn't hear it all. The conversation ended with Bill unconscious on the floor, and we just started to walk back over here." She was feeling her stomach flutter as she thought about the actual proposal again.

"Sookie, you're making my head spin. You went to Bill's, you told Bill, he attacked you, Eric saved the day, declared his never ending love…so far do I have the timeline right?" She waited for a response and smiled. Sookie nodded. "He and Bill fought, well, argued, Bill hit the floor, and still he hadn't proposed yet? You are so complicated…get to the good stuff." She was eager to hear the meat of the story.

"Well fine, just stop interrupting me. We were walking back here and talking about what had just happened. I was just so overwhelmed by the whole thing. He literally said everything in Bill's house that I had wanted to say, but couldn't . It was like we were thinking and feeling the same things. I told him how happy I was and that I loved him. He took a box out of his pocket and he actually got down on one knee and asked me right there in the grass." She pointed out the window to a little clearing at the edge of the woods. "I didn't even hesitate, I said yes right away." She felt her eyes tear.

"Wow, that's just beautiful…and then I'm hoping the next words out of your mouth are we had sex right there in that very spot." Her face lit up like a candle. "I want the good stuff, I want to know about the post engagement sex young lady." 

"Amelia, you never cease to amaze me." She gave her a disappointing look. "But if you must know…the sex was amazing. We did, right there in the grass. I didn't care if there was an entire pack of Were's watching, or hundred's of vamps surrounding us. It was incredible, just incredible. I'm telling you, he is unbelievable, just thinking about it and I'm gonna need to take a cold shower before I drive home." Her face was read with embarrassment. She was usually a very, very private person. "After we got done making love outside we drove back to Shreveport and we stayed up all night. God, the things he can do with his tongue." She giggled and fanned her face with her hand.

"Ok, stop right there. Tray isn't stopping by tonight and if you keep going I'm gonna need a cold shower myself." She held her hand up in a stop motion. "When do you think you'll actually get married?"

"I haven't thought about it yet. We haven't even talked about that. Guess we should though, maybe we can settle something tonight." She stood up and looked at her friend. "I'm gonna grab a few things from my room." She hugged her friend. "Thank you Amelia."

"For what?" She sounded confused

"For being happy for me. I mean for really being happy for me. You have no idea how much that means to me." She squeezed her and walked towards the room that Eric had turned into their private space.


	3. Chapter 3

_Amelia was right, Eric had changed the password to the lock. Last time he was silly and picked something easy to remember, L-O-V-E. She punched in that code but nothing happened. She thought about it, and looked at the keypad. It could be anything. It wasn't a normal lock that only accepted a 4 character password. It could be fifty letters long for all she new. She racked her brain…S-O-O-K-I-E, nothing._

_She refused to call him. She was going to figure this one out without his help. _

_V-I-K-I-N-G, nope. B-O-N-D-E-D, nope. B-O-N-D, nope. She closed her eyes and tried to feel him through their bond. When was the last time they were here together, when did he change the code? It was just over a week and a half ago. _

_L-O-V-E-R, nothing. E-R-I-C, too easy, nothing. She was ready to give up but pushed more thoughts through their bond. She closed her eyes and felt him, it was warm and it made her heart skip a beat. Without thinking her fingers started to push the buttons on the keypad. M-R-S-N-O-R-T-H-M-A-N…click, the door unlocked._

_Why hadn't she thought of that? He had pushed his feelings through their bond and made her think about becoming his wife. Typical, he was expecting her to become his wife before he had even asked her. She smirked when she thought about how confident he was when it came to certain things. She looked around the room and took in the silence. Her shields were up in a major way because Amelia was such an open broadcaster._

_It was the same room that she had before, her Gran's room that she had moved into after the funeral. Eric had a lot of work done to that area of the house to make it safe for him to stay there even during the day. She sat on the bed and her mind flooded with the past. She thought about the night she found Eric running on the side of the road with no memory. She remembered the way he felt when he climbed into her bed that night, scared and just in need of protection. She remembered how they first made love in that bed, how she was so scared and nervous. She felt a tear start to trail down her cheek and she wasn't sure if it was because of the memories, or because she had a terrible, sinking feeling in her body that she hadn't been able to shake for the past week. She had done her very best to hide it from him. What she didn't realize was that when she opened the bond to try and feel for the password, she opened it further than she thought. He felt the feeling she was experiencing. He was already coming for her._

_She looked in the closet for anything that needed to be brought with her to Shreveport. It was mostly old clothes that she didn't need to bother with just yet. She walked over to the dresser and looked at the jewelry box that sat on top. It had collected a good amount of dust due to her neglect. She opened it up and looked down at her Gran's antique items. There was nothing there that was overly special, it was the emotion behind it that was important. She ran her fingers over the old strand of pearls, the string was yellowed and looked so delicate. She was afraid to even pick it up, worried that the string would break and the pearls would come rolling off and find themselves lost in the cracks of an old house._

_She opened the bottom drawer of the box and glared at her own emotional but worthless items. She was looking at the bullets that Eric had taken for her over the years. She could never explain why she had kept them, they just meant something to her. She knew just by looking at them what bullet was from what gun. Dallas, Debbie Pelt, Jackson Were's, the young Were that stopped them impersonating a police officer. She just looked at them. The sinking feeling tightened in her stomach. Why had she been feeling this way? She couldn't explain it and it felt like it was going to drive her mad. She had always been able to explain something, because she was always able to pick up on some fragment of a thought right before the unknown happened. She looked at the bullets, the bullets that all could have killed her, she was crying, she didn't even realize it._

"_Lover, please tell me why you are crying at the sight of jewelry?" He was standing in the doorway. She jumped out of her skin. She was so involved in her own thoughts that she hadn't even felt him coming for her._

"_Jesus Eric, you scared me half to death." She put her hand over her heart to make sure it hadn't fallen out of her chest. She quickly closed the drawer to the jewelry box, he never knew that she had kept those bullets._

"_I'm sorry, I assumed that you would feel me as I got closer. I felt you, which is why I am here. Sookie, I need you to tell me what is wrong. I am only going to ask you once." He was serious, but his words were gentle. His eyes were the most intense blue as they focused on her tear stained face._

"_Eric, I'm sorry you drove all the way out here. I wasn't going to be much longer. I just wanted to get a few things and bring them back with me." She was excellent at avoidance, or so she thought._

"_Sookie Stackhouse, soon to be Sookie Northman…I refuse to repeat my question." There was no way to avoid the reason he was there._

"_I know, I'm sorry. Eric, I have this feeling." She thought about how to say the words and not make him turn into a raging, blood thirsty punisher. "I have a feeling that something very bad is going to happen. I just can't tell if something bad is going to happen to me or to you. I'm scared because I can't figure out where this is coming from." She was crying again and she could see his anger. "Please, don't be mad at me. I don't want you to be mad and think I'm over reacting." She begged him not to be upset._

_He walked over to her and wrapped his long arms around her body. He held her silently as she wept. He didn't speak for several minutes. He rubbed her back and shoulders and waited until the sobs turned into sniffles._

"_Sookie, I would never be angry at you for telling me how you feel. I would never think that you were over reacting to something that has upset you this much. I can feel how scared you are, this is something that you have been carrying with you. How have you been able to keep this from me?" He whispered into her ear as he continued to hold her._

_She pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. "I knew that it would upset you if you knew, so I did everything I could to block it and make sure you couldn't feel it. I didn't want you to feel this as much as me. It hurts and it's making me sick. I am so scared that something is going to happen to you. I can't let anything happen to you." Her eyes flew open as she said the words. "Oh god, Eric. What if something happens to you?" She began to shake as the thoughts sunk in more deeply. She looked at him and all he could do was squeeze her. He had no words for her sudden anxiety._

_She grabbed his face and kissed him with so much passion that he had to pull back and look at her to make sure she was OK. She just looked and pulled him back to her, it was as though she needed to affirm the fact that he was standing right in front of her. She pushed her tongue into his mouth and felt his hands turn from comfort to desire. The arms that had been holding her to calm her and comfort her were now sliding under her shirt to rip the bra from her body. She fought against his tongue with her own and felt him moan into her mouth. _

_Her hands were all over his body, like if she didn't feel him then he wasn't really there. She needed to touch his face, his hair, his chest, his back. She ran her hands across his shoulders and his butt, his thighs and his erection. The minute her hands brushed across his length he scooped her up and with vampire speed, had her on the bed. Neither one of them had spoke. It was too severe, too intense. She grabbed his shirt and for the first time she actually ripped it from him. It didn't rip off of his body as gracefully as her clothing seemed to, but he got the picture. He helped her get the tattered remains from his chest. She frantically tore at his jeans, clawing at his legs as she tried to free him from them. He growled and shuttered as she was so desperate to feel him._

_He pressed his lips into hers and she pulled at his blond hair. Her lips and mouth burned with the pressure, but it felt too good. He returned the favor and tore every piece of clothing from her body, it took seconds. She just needed to feel him, to have him in her, to know that he was right there beside her._

_He lay on top of her and kissed her neck and ears, but unlike his usual teasing, feather light lips, he was heavy and lustful. If she was a high school girl she would have thought that there may have been a hickey or two left behind. She moaned and dug her nails into his bare back. With that he grabbed her and flipped her over on to her stomach. He pulled her up on to her knees and got behind her. He could feel her lust and her desire, he could smell her arousal. He bent over her and kissed her back. She arched her spine as she felt his cool lips and tongue slide down her skin. He slammed himself into her and she screamed his name. She felt every inch of him slide into her and she needed to grab the headboard to brace herself against his thrusts. He was relentless and she took all of him._

_He held her hips firmly in his hands and threw his head back as he plunged into her. He needed her just as much as she needed him. Neither one of them had spoken, aside from screaming each other's name from the pleasure they were experiencing. He felt her muscles start the tighten and he pulled out. He pulled her up and held her against him, her bare back to his bare chest. He reached around and kissed her neck and her shoulders. She felt his hand slide down in between them and reach for her spot. He rubbed her nub and felt the moisture as it covered his hand. She moaned his name and he covered her mouth with his other hand._

_He continued to kiss her neck and run his tongue over her skin as he worked circles between her legs. She was practically crying with desire, but the hand over her mouth prevented her from screaming and releasing the pleasure that was building. He could feel her teeth start to graze the flesh of his hand. He knew she was about to come, but like before, he stopped. He removed his hand from her mouth and from between her legs. She was panting and her eyes begged him not to stop. He smirked at her and she had enough. She took his arms and shoved him down on to the bed. Of course he didn't resist, making the shove a heck of a lot easier._

_Her eyes met his and they held each others gaze. She crawled up his body and slid right on to him. She bent over him and pressed her mouth over his, hurting her lips as she used so much force. She rocked herself and never took her eyes off of his. She needed him, she needed him in every way possible. She felt herself pick up the pace of her hips and she could feel her orgasm. He grabbed her by the hips and helped bring her over the edge. She was frantic with the wave of pleasure that moved through her body. He continued to rock her with his hands, he hadn't finished yet. Just as her first orgasm subsided, she could feel another building. She was breathless and he was moaning her name. _

_She never left his eyes but she was about to speak. "Eric, I want to have your blood. I want to drink from you. Oh God, Eric…I want more of you." Her voice was weak and raspy from the pleasure. Hearing her request his blood sent him into his own release._

"_Oh, my love. Oh God…God, Sookie, yes…anything lover. Oh God." He was experiencing his own crest and she felt his body tense, and then relax._

_They drew each other into a long, hungry kiss. They didn't move from the position they had just finished making love in._

"_Eric, I want to taste your blood, I want to have your blood again, right now." She was intense._

"_Are you sure my love?" He stroked her hair._

"_Not a doubt in my mind." She rubbed his chest and looked at him. She knew that he didn't bite while they were making love because she had made that request. He wanted to bond with her and drink at the same time._

"_As you wish, anything you want. I love you." His eyes were concentrated. He took her and rotated her so that she was sitting between his legs, facing away from him. He pulled her close to him and wrapped his arm around her waist. She heard him bite into his wrist and placed it in front of her mouth._

_She grabbed his arm and wrapped her mouth around the wound. He moaned her name as he felt his blood flow into her mouth. She felt his erection grow against her back, and then his cool lips against her neck. She drew on his wrist and he erotically moved against her body, rubbing his erection on her bare skin. His fangs pierced her neck and he drank. She felt hot and she felt his desire. She pressed back into him and let him rub harder against her. She felt him pulling from her neck and it felt like it was directly attached to her nether region._

_He knew that she was just as ready as he was and he reached between her legs and went right in. His fingers picked up right where they left off earlier, rubbing and massaging. His pace was quick, matching the way his body was moving against her back. She had stopped taking his blood and just laid back into him while he continued to take slight sips from her wounds. She felt herself get ready for another release and she felt his blood immediately. She felt the lust, the desire, the love, the trust. He could feel all of these things also, it was searing. He pressed his fingers into her one last time and rubbed himself across her to finish. They screamed each other's name and collapsed on to each other. They were silent as they looked into each other's eyes, both feeling the renewal of their bond._


	4. Chapter 4

_They both were still. They silently took in the events that just past. He gently caressed her shoulders and brushed the hair from her face and rubbed his fingers over her lips. She was staring intently at his face, memorizing every detail. She lifted her hand to his cheek and let her fingers gently rub against the cool, silk feeling flesh._

"_I love you Eric. I want to get married, soon." She was speaking in a voice that was just above a whisper._

"_We can be married whenever you like. I assumed that you would want to have a large wedding with guests and the whole celebration that follows? If that is not what you desire all you need to do is say the word. I can have a clergyman perform a small ceremony with just the two of us. He wouldn't even need much notice. You tell me what it is you want, and I shall see that it is done." He kissed her softly on the forehead._

"_Eric, I just want to be married. Having a big wedding with tons of people and traditions means nothing to me. The only thing that matters is us. Just a few people, the people that are the closet to us, that mean the most and that are truly happy for us. I do not want anyone there that I can hear and know that they're thinking about how they can't wait until I get what I deserve, or that I'm going to hell, or wishing us both dead." Her voice was so desperate. Whatever this feeling was that she had was making her on edge. He was truly concerned about her. He held her close to him and felt her heart beating in her chest. It was beating fast and furious. His body ached at her fear._

"_Anything you want my love. Lets get dressed and go home." He tried to use his voice to settle her unease, her heart did not slow down. He helped her sit up and watched her as she got out of bed and went to the dresser to get something new to wear. He saw her eyes dart towards the jewelry box again. Whatever was in that box was contributing to her feeling. She dressed quickly in the hopes that he did not notice her mind wandering._

"_Sookie?" His voice was sturdy as he started to ask her about the box. "Please tell me why you were crying when you were looking at that box when I came here tonight." He waited for her response, with the renewed bond he immediately felt her emotions. She was so tense and edgy. He saw her body straighten up as she readied herself._

"_Eric, I can't explain why. Just know that these are important to me. But now, I feel in danger when I am near them or I think about them." She pulled the little drawer of the jewelry box out and moved to the side so he could look inside. He took a step closer and peered down into the box. His face was hard and unreadable. He looked at her and his eyes begged the question…why?_

"_Eric, you saved me so many times. Even when I couldn't stand the idea of the two of us, I still had these. I know where every one came from, I remember every time I almost died. You are everything to me, I think that I kept these because they remind me that you would do anything to protect me." She looked away and tried to focus her eyes on a shadow on the wall. "I know it's sick and I know it doesn't make any sense, but God, Eric, those bullets were meant to kill me. But here I am, alive, and with the person that took every one of those bullets to save me. I will never give them up. They are my sick way of reminding myself just how much you have sacrificed for me." Her voice was wavering and he could feel her heart aching. "But now, I see them and all I can think of is that if anything or anyone tried to hurt you…I couldn't save you like you saved me. I couldn't take a bullet for you. I would, but it would most likely kill me. And that would be fine, I would die if it meant saving you. I am scared. I am scared that I can't protect you and save you that way you have protected me." She turned her eyes to his and looked at him with such desperation. She was unable to keep her emotions from flooding their bond._

"_Sookie, you kept every bullet? You will never stop astonishing me. I never expected that you would have kept these. I never thought about it. I remember you picking the bullet up off of the floor in Dallas, after you removed it from my shoulder. What happened after never crossed my mind." His voice was far-away, he was trying desperately to remember her saving all of the shots. "You must realize, since I have been walking this Earth, in this form, there has always been something or someone trying to harm or kill me. It is part of my existence, I am a survivor. I would not have made it these 1000 years, and made it to you if I was something other than myself." He looked at her and took her hand in his. He brought their hands to his lips and kissed her fingers. "Lover, you do not need to protect me. I will never allow you to sacrifice yourself for me. I will always be safe, especially now that I have found the one thing that I have been missing for my entire life, alive and dead. You are everything to me, just as I am to you. Never, never will I take the chance of being taken away from you." He pulled her to him and held her and whispered into her ear. "I will never leave you."_

_She squeezed him tightly and breathed in his scent. She felt him calming her and settling her nerves. At that time it is exactly what she needed. She shut the jewelry box and looked around the room. She was ready to go home._

_Amelia had gone to her room and was watching TV. They yelled to her that they were leaving. She came out and gave her friend a hug goodbye._

"_Drive safe, I am so happy for you. Talk to you soon." She hugged her and waived. "You too Eric, Congratulations." He smiled and nodded his head._

_She looked around and saw that he didn't have his car. She looked in both directions. He hated driving in her car, she was going to have to listen to him complain the entire ride home about how much he disliked her car._

"_No car?" She questioned him_

"_I was concerned when I felt how upset you were. I decided it would be faster if I flew." Again, always with the pragmatic vampire._

"_OK, shall I drive or would you like to?" He winced as she held out the keys and waited for a decision._

"_I suppose that I will drive, although it pains me to have to drive in the unbearable piece of metal." His voice was full of disgust._

"_It's not so bad baby. It could be worse, I could be driving the car I had when I first met Bill." She giggled because she knew that he would remember the even bigger piece of crap and realize that she was right._

"_Very well, lets be on our way. It will take us an extra half hour just to get this thing up to speed." He grinned in his Eric way and she smiled back. She loved every part of him, even the sarcastic, smart-ass, arrogant parts of him._

_The drive was fairly quiet. She could tell that he was hating every minute of having to drive her car. He actually looked like he was in pain every time he pressed the accelerator and didn't get the result he was used to. He rubbed his hand over her thigh and thought about the night. She felt him and knew that they should discuss why she had felt the need to take his blood. She closed her eyes and thought about how she would like to plan her wedding. She was very sure that she wanted a small and intimate gathering._

_Once they got home they immediately went to the bathroom to soak in the enormous tub. She was hungry, but she could hold off eating. She knew it was more important to be with him and relax, and talk about the night. Once the tub was full they slipped into the water and she leaned back against his sturdy body. He didn't even ask, it was her that initiated the conversation._

"_I needed to have you. I needed to feel your life inside of mine. The thought of losing you to some unknown force was just too much. All I could think about was touching you and being with you. That need just took over. I didn't care about anything except the two of us." She spoke quietly and waited for his response._

"_Are you regretting taking my blood. Did you do it only because you were giving in to the fear?" He did not sound upset, just concerned._

"_God no. I was afraid when we were making love. It was the fear that made me practically attack you and made me need you so much." She turned around and half smiled at him. She was blushing as she remembered how she had initiated their sex at her old house._

"_Then lover, please, I will need to frighten you more often." He gave her a reassuring pat on her bottom. She laughed and splashed water at him._

"_I wanted to have your blood. I wanted to feel you and be close to you. I wanted to be that much closer. I can feel your life inside of my body. It makes me feel incredible, I love you. I love feeling you. I am happy that you gave me your gift." He could feel how heartfelt and sincere her words were. Knowing that she wanted him out of love and not fear made him all the more appreciative of her._

"_Sookie, It is not me that gave a gift. You taking and wanting my blood was the gift. Sharing it with you as I took from your's, that is truly a remarkable experience. When we bonded in Rhodes it was out of necessity. It was to avoid having your life destroyed. Tonight was about the love we share. I love you, and everything about you." His face was soft and tender. He hugged her close and began to wash her body. They sat quietly for a few minutes as he washed her back._

"_So, lover, when would you like to marry? You seemed very intent on getting this done quickly." He rubbed her back with lathered hands._

"_Yes, I don't want to wait. There's no point in waiting. I don't need a year to plan. I have no family to speak of. I can't have Hunter here, we decided it would be best to stay away. I haven't spoken to Jason in almost a year. The only people that I would care to invite would be Amelia and Sam, and Pam of course." She paused as she thought about how little family she had. "It would be nice to have Niall there, Claudine and Claude too. I would even like to have Bill there. Even though he's an ass and I hate what he did, he still is the one that brought us together. If he could accept us and be happy for us, I would want him to be there." She waited for him to let out an angry sigh at her revelation._

"_You ability to forgive is remarkable. You are truly an amazing woman." That was his only response to her mention of having Bill present at their wedding._

"_What day is it?" Her sense of time was a little screwed up._

"_Lover, tonight is Saturday. Why do you ask?" He smiled at her._

"_Next Saturday…I want to get married next Saturday. Do you think we can put this thing together in a week?" She was excited at the idea._

"_Lover, if we were a normal couple, people might think this was a…" He thought hard about the phrase and looked intently at the water as he concentrated. " A shotgun wedding. That is the term humans use when the bride to be is unexpectedly expecting, correct?" He grinned at her, but her face was slightly sad._

"_Yes, that is what we call it when the bride gets married because she is, pregnant." She looked down at the water and smiled. "I'm getting a little cold. I'm going to get out and run downstairs and get a bite to eat." She wanted to remove herself from this conversation as soon as possible. He realized that he had just brought up the one thing that they had never really discussed. When she agreed to be with him and spend her life as his partner, she gave up the dream of having children. Even if it was not ideal, she was never going to be the woman that needed to have a shotgun wedding. _


	5. Chapter 5

_She dried off quickly and threw on a pair of red silk pajama's. She was trying to get downstairs before he came out of the bathroom and wanted to talk about what had made her suddenly distant. She towel dried her hair and practically ran for the stairs. _

_He came out of the bathroom and saw she was already gone. He knew that she was in a rush because on the floor lay the wet towel. She was as clean and neat as could be. Never once had she left a wet towel on the ground. She had prided herself on being a tidy person, she even enjoyed cleaning. He looked at the towel and he felt her sadness. He had to decide whether to not to let her be alone and think about this herself, or go to her and talk about the very large pink elephant that was now living in their house._

_She looked in the fridge and saw that they needed to go grocery shopping again. She pulled out some cheese and butter. She threw a skillet on to the stove and started to heat it up. She buttered some bread and tossed it into the pan. Grilled cheese, one of the best comfort foods around. She stood in the kitchen and stared at the pan as the bread turned a perfect golden hue. She thought about Eric and how much she loved him._

_She always knew that vampires were not able to have children. She knew that Eric would not be able to give her a family, she had accepted that. They had never talked about it. It was just something that was known, children were not an option. Why now was she feeling so mixed about this? She figured it was because now she was officially getting married. She thought about the old rhyme that kids teased each other with on the playground. __First comes love, them comes marriage, then comes…._

"There are other options lover." His voice was behind her. She quickly turned around to see him watching her stare at her cooking grilled cheese.

"What?" She didn't really hear what he has said as she was lost in her mind.

"There are other options. Just because I can not give you children does not mean that we will never have a family. There are other options." He walked towards her and took the spatula from her hands.

"Eric, I accepted this a long time ago. I knew and I chose us anyway. You just need to give me a minute. Let me have my five minute pity party and I'll be back to rights." She nodded her head towards the pan in order for him to take it off the heat of the stove.

"I know that you accepted this, but it is something that we never discussed. I know that you want to have a family. You would make a wonderful mother." When the words came out of his mouth he felt her heart ache for a child that she would never bare. "I know that it hurts you to know that you will not carry a child, a child that is of my body. But Sookie, there are alternate ways to have a family." He handed her the grilled cheese and pulled out a chair so she could sit.

"This isn't something we need to talk about Eric. I'm already over it, I don't even remember what we were talking about." She did her best to end the torture.

"We do need to talk about this. If we are to be married then we must talk about our future as husband and wife, and everything that comes along with being married. I will do whatever it takes to make a family. There are agencies all over the country that are now dealing only with alternate adoptions." By alternate he did not mean the gay community.

"It is not legal in Louisiana for a Vampire to adopt yet." She pointed out the obvious fault in his plan.

"Then we will go to California or New York. We will go anywhere if that is what you want. If that does not work I can do something more… drastic." When he said drastic it was very low and menacing.

"Eric, I do not want to steal a baby." She was shocked.

"I would not steal a child. But remember, I have the ability to Glamour. We could find a woman, a teenager that does not wish to be a mother. I could Glamour her into allowing us to take custody of her child once it is born." He was right, she had never thought of that as an option.

"No, it wouldn't be right. That's the same as stealing. The mother would have no idea what she was doing. I can't do that, no way." She was certain that she did not want that to happen. "Eric, can we talk about this more later. Right now I just want to eat and then go upstairs with my future husband. I want to talk about getting married, that's what I want right now." She rubbed her hand over his.

"Yes, I will go up and wait for you. I will let you finish your meal and think if that is what you want." He kissed her and stood.

"Thank you" He winked at her and silently walked out of the room.

He could still feel that she was upset, but she was going to be ok. He never realized that he would want to have a family. He was a vampire, vampires do not care to have little human people around them. They are messy and smelly and needy. They are selfish and they are in constant need of attention. Never in 1000 years did he ever miss the idea of family. Now, it was all he could think about. It was all he wanted to give her, wanted to share with her. Her heartache was now his, if he had a biological clock it was not just ticking, it was blaring a high pitched screeching alarm. He understood why she wanted a family, he wanted one too.

When she finally came upstairs he was waiting for her, laying under to soft, pima cotton sheets. She looked at him and smiled. She climbed into bed and snuggled up to his cool chest. He was only wearing a pair of cotton boxer shorts and the minute she was near they were being stretched to their max. She rubbed her hand over his chest and kissed it lightly.

He held her to him and kissed her neck. She raised her face to look at him and rubbed her hand over his cheek. She reached up and kissed him, softly and tenderly. He parted her lips with his tongue and deepened the kiss. Her arms slid up to his neck and pulled him close to her. Her desire for him instantly rose and she found herself moving against him in a very familiar rhythm. He could smell and feel her desire, just as she could feel and smell his. 

He carefully removed her silk pajama's, making sure not to tear any of the delicate fabric. He knew that she loved this piece of clothing. When she was freed from the fabric he caressed her entire body with his massive hands. She still trembled when he touched her, not out of fear, but out of pure love and anticipation. 

She had slipped her hand into the waist of his boxers and began to slip them down over his hips. When they were low enough she slid them the rest of the way with her foot. He smiled at her as she worked them off of his body. She let her fingers float along the soft, sensitive spot on the inside of his hip. He loved it when she touched him so softly. This was nothing like the way they made love earlier. This was not severe and lustful. It was tender and it was gentle. He kissed his way down her body and let himself linger over her stomach. For a moment he let himself imagine her pregnant, with his child. He quickly came back to reality when he heard her make a whimper as his hand rubbed the skin over her belly. He continued to kiss his way down to her entrance.

He lightly kissed and licked her everywhere. He did not dive in with the intensity that he usually showed when it came to this area of her body. He loved to perform oral sex on her. He loved the way she felt, tasted, smelled, moved as he pleasured her. He was always so happy to get right in and bring her to her climax. Tonight he wanted to enjoy her, he wanted to experience her.

He casually and gently let his tongue explore her area. He nibbled and massaged her with his mouth. He took in everything. She could tell that he was taking his time, but not to be a tease, he was doing it for himself. She breathed slowly and deeply as she felt his mouth and his tongue on her body.

He started to increase the pace of his mouth and watched as her body responded. His tongue began the very familiar rhythm that always brought her such ecstasy. He dragged his mouth across her center and let his tongue plunge inside of her. She began to moan in the way she knew he loved. He let his hand wander up her body and began caressing her breast. Good thing he had such long arms she thought.

He knew that he could send her over the edge at any moment, but he was enjoying himself. He was loving watching her and hearing her. He let himself slow down his rhythm only to hear her beg for him to keep up. "Please, don't stop." She moaned. He gave in, he got back up to pace and felt her muscles start to tense. Just as she arched her back and began to press against his mouth he gave her one last kiss and started her off on her orgasm. To finish her off he turned to her thigh and bit. He felt her entire body start to convulse at the release. He rested his hand over her stomach to press her against the bed as she came. She was panting and trying to catch her breath.

"Oh my God, that was…amazing." She felt his appreciation at her words.

He crawled up her body and she kissed him and tasted her own self on his lips. She was ready to return the favor and let her hands slide between them to wrap around his length. He growled in her ear when her hands grasped for his body. She nudged him with her shoulder and motioned for him to lay back. He obliged her wish and kissed her passionately before falling on to his back.

She kissed his chest and worked her way down much faster than he had done to her. She bit at that sensitive area on his hip that she knew gave him so much pleasure. She took him in her mouth and heard him let out a very deep, satisfying sigh. He thought that there was nothing more intense than feeling her hot, wet mouth on his cold, hard skin. He stroked her hair as she worked her way along his body.

She was very inexperienced when they first came together, but he was a fantastic teacher. He had taught her to be more open and unashamed. He showed her what it was like to experience pure and complete satisfaction. She had only been with two other partners besides him. They were nothing compared to him, and she had told him that on several occasions. She was happy that he had been so willing to teach her the things that would make the both of them so happy and content. He was a master at everything he did, making love was at the top pf that list.

She slid her hands around the base of his erection as she let her mouth explore his length. He moaned her name each time she hit the sensitive spot near the top of his penis. She had learned what drove him mad with desire, she was holding out, just as he had. She enjoyed giving him pleasure just as he did to her. When he was begging her to release him she began to speed up. It had taken her a while to get used to how well endowed he was, but now she was able to fully take him. He loved that she was such an eager student. 

"Oh…Oh…don't stop you amazing woman!" He screamed as she worked faster. She knew she was just at the edge. "Sookie, Sookie…Oh…Oh, God I Love You." He shouted and tumbled over the pleasure edge. She felt his whole body quake. She hadn't even realized that the hand that had been stroking her hair was now tightly wound around her locks. She felt his hand loosen its grip on her strands of hair.

"You are incredible, I am the luckiest vampire to have such a skillful woman." He pulled her towards him. They curled up in each others arms and she slid into the position that she was perfectly fit for. She snuggled closer to him to closed her eyes. She drifted into a deep sleep as he held her and stroked her hair. 

TBC….


	6. Chapter 6

It was 7:33am…her eyes flew open. She couldn't breath, her body was drenched in a soaking, cold sweat. She lifted the covers and saw that Eric has redressed her in her silk pajamas. She scanned the room, her eyes were darting everywhere. She couldn't remember if she had a dream, if she had _heard _something in her sleep, or if she was just plain going crazy.

Eric hadn't brought her to bed with him last night, she was still in the huge, master bedroom. She was alone and terrified. The feeling that had haunted her for the past week was now right on top pf her, crushing her. She flew out of bed and screamed his name. "Eric, Eric…are you here?" Her mind wasn't registering that it was morning and he was safely asleep in the next room.

"Eric, please…?" She ran to the doorway to his safe room and opened the door. Of course he was there. Sound asleep, his body weaved into the afghan that was showing its age. Her body trembled as she realized that there was no problem. She did not want to go into the room. She was too upset and she knew that he would feel it the minute she lay next to him. She watched him sleep silently for the next few minutes, not taking her eyes off of him.

When she finally convinced herself that everything was alright, she went back to bed. She curled up under the covers, on his side of the bed, and buried her face into his plush pillow. She deeply inhaled the smell of his body, she hugged the pillow into her and let herself close her eyes. She tried to get a grasp on what was going on inside her mind.

She reached out with her mind and tried to hear anything out of the ordinary, there was nothing but silence. She was never so unsettled by the deafening quiet. She would give anything right now for any trace of a stray thought. Anything that might help her to understand the fear that she was experiencing.

She tried to remember if she had a dream, but there was nothing in her mind that made her think that. No stray memories, no faint ideas. As she laid there trying desperately to cling to any form of an explanation he was unsettled in his sleep. He was not awake, but he was not in his usual day time slumber. He was restless and uneasy. He was not aware of it yet, but the sick, sinking feeling that had seeped into her life for the past week was now invading him.

Her mind was becoming tired with all of the extra concentration, she fell back to sleep. She was thankful to not have to think about this any longer. She slept for the next twelve hours. She did not even wake when Eric rose. He emerged from his room and saw her sleeping silently. Her face did not look its usual peaceful, ethereal form. She looked tense and alarmed. He did not wake her. He sat down gently on the side of the bed and placed his hand on hers. The minute his hand touched her skin he felt the bond, it was in utter turmoil.

Her mind was in overdrive, even as she slept. Her mind was filled with fear and exhaustion. She was silently screaming, screaming for him. The feeling that she was trying to describe to him the night before was now a reality to him. He knew the minute he rose that she was right to be scared. There was something, but not even he could decipher what it was. It was not just only her feeling any longer. They would now be feeling this together, they would have to work around this terror and be safe. He would protect her, he would protect himself. Nothing would harm them, not now, not ever.

She felt his stare on her. She started to flutter her eyes and caught him looking down at her with a look of concern. It was concern for not only her, but for them.

"Eric, you know don't you? You felt it, I'm not crazy? There is something that I'm feeling that really isn't good." She knew that she was right because all he did was nod his head slowly. She sat up and laid her head against his chest. He held her and thought about what to say.

"Sookie, whatever this is…we will get through it. We will manage and we will be alright. I can't tell you what it is that we are dealing with. But, yes…I can feel it too. I am feeling it more than just through our bond. I feel it within myself also, there is definitely something happening. Trust me, we will be ok." His voice was not as reassuring as it had been in the past. But, for right now, it would have to do. "Come. We must get ready to go to the bar. I do not want you out of my sight. We can talk more about this there. We will fill Pam in on this new detail and see what she has to say."

"Are you sure, maybe we should just stay here. Maybe we shouldn't go anywhere until whatever this is passes." She tugged on his arm hoping that would change his mind.

"No, we can not allow this to alter or lives. We must act as though we feel nothing out of the ordinary. Whatever, or whoever is causing this feeling of uncertainty must not know that we have picked up on it. Please, lets go get into the shower." He lowered his face to hers and raised his eyebrows.

She giggled slightly at the form his face took when he did this. "Fine, but I don't like it. I would really rather just stay here where I know we're safe." She hated pouting. She got out of bed and followed him into the bathroom. At least the fear hadn't taken away their desire to have one another. They spent the next hour getting "clean".

"Sookie, I was thinking. I know it's not tradition in human wedding culture, but I would like to pick out your wedding gown, if you would allow me." This was an odd thought to start their drive off.

"Seriously…you want to pick out my wedding dress? Why? I mean, I know you like to have me wear expensive clothes, and you like to buy me things. But, why the wedding dress? Are you afraid that I would chose something that you don't approve of?" Her voice had a slight fragment of irritation.

"No, it is nothing like that. I would approve of anything you chose, even if you chose to wear nothing at all. The reason I ask is when I was picking up your ring from the jeweler I walked past a bridal salon. In the window there was the most beautiful dress I have ever seen. When I saw it I could only see you in this dress. It looked like it was made for you. I stood outside this boutique and looked at this dress for almost an hour. I knew that it was yours, it was meant to be worn by you, on our wedding day." He took her hand in his and rubbed his fingers over the engagement ring. "If you do not like it you can return it and buy something different." His voice was like satin.

She instantly lost the irritation and melted at the thought of him standing on the street, staring at this dress. People must have been thinking that he had lost his mind.

"Eric, I would be happy to wear this dress, thank you." She kissed his hand. Their fingers were interlaced as he rubbed her palm.

"Excellent, I will have it delivered tomorrow. That will still leave five days if you need to have it altered." He sounded like he had just won a great battle .

"So does that mean I get to pick out what you wear to the wedding?" She met his eyes and smiled a very crooked smile.

"What did you have in mind lover? You are aware that I have not a timid bone in my body. I will do just about anything if you desire it." He smirked at her knowing that he was speaking the truth.

"Yes, I am aware that if I asked you would stand as naked as a jay bird in front of our friends…but that is not what I had in mind. I was thinking more traditional." She paused and looked at him. "Eric, I want you to wear the black suit that you wore to my house all those months ago. The night that we…" He cut her off.

"The night we were finally able to admit our love and begin our lives together. The night that I knew I would be with you for always. When we came together and didn't run from the truth. I remember it well lover." He smiled gently as he remembered the past. He squeezed her hand, still laced with his own. "I will wear that suit. I will do anything to make you happy." They felt their bond swell with love and happiness. They pulled into the bar and he pulled her in for a searing kiss. Before she could catch her breath he was already out of the car and opening her door. Vampire speed still amazed her.


	7. Chapter 7

Pam caught his look as they entered the bar. She could see that Eric had something on his mind and she silently walked behind them.

"Eric, Sookie…good to see you as always." She bowed her head towards them both. Her straw hair was pulled tightly in a perfect chignon. Her lavender cardigan sweater set made her skin appear less white than usual. The pearls around her neck gleamed against the pallor of her throat.

"Hi Pam, you look great as usual." She smiled at her vampire girlfriend.

"Eric, what is the problem. I could sense something is wrong. What do you need me to do." She was always so to the point. There was no beating around the bush with Pam.

"Pam,…Sookie and I are expecting some type of attack. We do not know when, where, or even by who. All we know is that we can feel something that is not right. There is something in the works, it is either a plot against one of us, or both of us. I need you to find out as much information as possible, and in the most discreet manner. I want no one to know of our investigation. Do you understand what I am asking you to do?" His voice was very clear and very stern.

"Of course, I will see that everything is taken care of." She didn't even question the fact that they were working on intuition, and not cold, hard facts. "I will make sure that you are provided with every detail I uncover." She was flat and dangerous with her tone.

"Thank you. Also, one more thing Pam. Please print up a notice that we will be closed next Saturday." He gave Pam a devious grin.

"Excuse me, Eric? Why would we close on a Saturday night, especially when the Universities are just starting to enter the final weeks of school?" She was stumped as to why he would even suggest such a thing.

"Eric, allow me." Sookie kissed him lightly on the cheek and stepped forward a little.

"Pam, the bar needs to close because Eric and I are getting married on Saturday. We just assumed that you would be a part of that. You can't be here and at our wedding, so naturally…close it down." She beamed with the thought of her wedding.

Pam looked a them both. Her eyes darted between her and Eric. She knew Eric was going to ask her to marry him, but the last she knew his proposal was blown out of the water due to Bill's early touch down. All of the flowers that he had bought were now sitting in her house, wilting in their vases. Suddenly she did something completely human. Something that vampire's rarely ever do…she reached out and hugged her to her body. She held on to her with such force that she thought her bones were going to turn to dust.

"Sookie, I am so happy. Thank you, thank you for making _him_ so happy. I want nothing but good things for you." She thought she heard her voice crack a little.

"Pam, could you let go, just a little." She felt her grip loosen. "Thanks, I know it's really short notice, but what the hell. We have nothing to wait for. We want to get married as soon as possible. Can you believe it, Saturday!" She shrieked with joy.

Pam smiled at her and glanced towards Eric. She gave him a very long, deep bow of her head. "Master, my sincerest congratulations." She smiled and disappeared silently from the office.

"Sookie, tonight I want you to sit by me all evening. I do not want you working, going to the bar alone, the bathroom alone, no where alone." He was deadly serious.

"Fine, but I don't want you out of my sight either, you got that? If I can't be left alone neither can you. Not the liquor room, not the office…understood?" She pointed her finger into his chest. He laughed, he loved it when she gave him orders.

"As you wish lover. Let us go and satisfy our many admirers." He made a disgusted sound. They walked into the bar and as usual the entire room had turned their attention to their direction. She had become very good at shielding herself from the minds of the patrons. It took a lot of energy, but she could not stand the mindless chatter that was often at her expense.

It was mostly the same faces, same fang bangers, same vampires. The only change was the tourists. You could pick them out from a mile away. Baseball hats, khaki shorts with awful Hawaiian print shirts, sneakers. Most of them had camera's around their necks and fanny packs around their waists. They all loved to go home with a picture of a vampire and show their friends at bridge night just how dangerous they were living now that the kids had gone off to college. If they only knew what was right in their own backyard. The dog they heard barking at night probably wasn't the next door neighbors. For all they knew it was a local Were, still hiding themselves in the shadows of society.

She sat next to him, his hand covering hers as it rested on his thigh. Their waitress for the night had brought her a cocktail and disappeared without even glancing at her. He chose not to have any True Blood, he hated the synthetic taste, and he knew that he could have the real thing later that night. He mindlessly traced circles on the back of her hand as he scanned the people on the dance floor.

"Does anything seem out of place to you lover?" He whispered in her ear, not that anyone could hear him over the blaring music.

"Nope, seems fine to me." She let her eyes wander around the room. A few minutes past and she turned to him, pulling her knees up close to her. She had become comfortable sitting next to him in her own chair. "Eric, where do you want to get married? That's kind of important, don't you think? We only have a few days to plan this wedding. No offense, but I do not want to get married here." She motioned her eyes to the bar and the dance floor. He laughed at her suggestion.

"Oh…no offense taken. I do not expect you to marry in a bar. When I say bar I also do not expect you to want to get married at the Shifter's." He stumbled on his words. "At Sam's." He smiled brightly at her hoping she would recognize and reward him for remembering to try and use his name. She did notice and gave him a long deep kiss.

"Thank you baby. I know it's tough to have to remember that he really does have a name." She pinched his cheek and he flinched.

"Is there someplace special that you had in mind lover?" He was thinking the same thing himself.

"Well, sort of. It might be kind of awkward though. My folks house, where Jason lives. They have a real nice piece of property. there is a pond behind the house and it has woods surrounding it. It's real peaceful and relaxing. It's beautiful there." She felt funny suggesting she get married at her brother's house, the same brother that she hadn't spoke to in months, the same brother that didn't even know she was getting married.

"I think that sounds beautiful. If that is what you want, I will see that it happens. The weather is warm enough now that you can enjoy having an evening wedding outside. I thing it sounds perfect. Consider it done." He kissed the tip of her nose and she laughed at the feeling.

Just as she settled in to planning more details she thought she caught the very end of a thought. She closed her eyes and waited to see if she could pick anything else up. Her body tensed as she focused all of her energy on this one stray brain.

_fucking monster I'll kill them all I don't care if I get the girl or the vamp orders to follow huge payout contract didn't say it had to be both all I have to do is take one of them down_

The thoughts were fading, whoever was thinking these things was leaving, or already gone. She jumped up out of her seat and tried to follow the voice in her head. Eric motioned his head towards Pam and they were both flanking her sides. She walked frantically through the crowd of people, purposely bumping into them to try and touch them. It was no use, the person behind the thoughts was no longer there. If her shields hadn't been up so much perhaps she could have caught the thoughts earlier, perhaps she could have heard them sooner and located the brain that they were coming from.

She walked directly into Eric's office and sat on his couch. She dropped her head into her hands and began crying. She felt his hands on her shoulders and start to rub her neck. He didn't say a word, he let her have her cry. Finally she looked up at him.

"I'm sorry, if I could have just heard him sooner. I could have found him and we could have taken care of it. I was too late, he was gone by the time I heard his thoughts. He's still out there, he's planning on taking one of us out. He doesn't care if it's you or me, he just needs to get one of us. Eric, he thought about something involving a contract and a huge payout." She looked at him and was terrified. Eric was not looking himself, he was looking more dangerous than she had ever seen him. More scary than the night he killed the pack of Jackson Were's for attacking her, more dangerous than the night he took Sigebert's head off. This was not going to end well.


	8. Chapter 8

She buried her face in her hands, unable to look at either Pam or Eric. The disappointment she felt in herself was incomprehensible. What if she just let her or Eric's killer walk right out the door? Her mind pulsed and throbbed. She was getting a splitting headache at the thought of what could possibly happen in their future.

It was not even midnight, it was way too early to leave the bar. When she finally summoned the courage to look up he was just watching her. He felt how upset she was, but not at the situation, she was upset with herself. She was going to bare the brunt of this mental collapse on her own shoulders. He knew that she was not going to believe that she was not at fault. He could feel this, before she had even said a word.

He walked over to her slowly, her eyes were so swollen from the pain and the tears. She followed him with her eyes as he walked towards her. She felt her body tense as he approached. He gazed down at her, touched his hand to her shoulder, and dropped in front of her. He held her face in his hands and rubbed the tears away from her eyes.

"Do not…do not do this. You could not have known that this was going to happen. Sookie, this is not your fault." His voice was heavy and profound. He begged her with his eyes to listen to him.

"Eric, I could have stopped him. I could have found out who this was and we could have been done with it, before anything even happened. I could have saved us. I could have saved you." Her voice was trembling and she was shaking.

"We will find out who this person is. We will find out who owns the contract and we will put a stop to whatever this plan is. I promise you, I will track this to the ends of the Earth. Sookie, please… do not put this on yourself." He brushed her face with his hands, trying to bring her back to their world and out of her head.

The pain was searing through her skull, she just needed to lay down. She looked at him and he helped lower her exhausted body onto the couch that she was seated on. He kissed her softly on the cheek and willed her to close her eyes.

"Rest my love. Close your eyes." His voice was velvet to her tired body. She closed her eyes and let her mind go blank. He walked over to the wardrobe chest he kept in the office and removed a blanket. He covered her and made sure that she was comfortable. When he knew she was asleep he turned his eyes towards Pam. She had been present the entire time, but remained silent. They had a brief but silent exchange, he was making her aware that she was to keep her voice down.

"Contract…the word contract is most…unsettling." He silently took in his surroundings, looking at the air as though he might see something invisible.

"Yes, this is definitely concerning." Pam's spoke in her usual flat and unimpressed tone.

"I want every person we know investigated. Human, Were, Shifter, Vampire, everyone. Do not hesitate to send a mole into Victor's territory, the King as well. Do you understand me?" His voice was like venom. It was cold and it was lethal.

"Yes. Eric…may I speak freely?" Pam spoke softly and cautiously.

"Proceed." He was interested.

"I know how deeply you love her." Pam motioned her head towards her as she slept. "But, please…Master." Pam was calling him Master. She seldom used this term, but when she did, the matter at hand was a serious one. With the exception of the very rare, self entertaining razzing. "Please, you must remember what you are. You are very powerful and have been for centuries. I worry that she will cause you to compromise yourself. I worry for your safety when you are so consumed with her." Pam's words were delicate, not wanting him to strike her dead. "I care for her too. Yes, she is trouble and she is strong willed. She is infuriating at best, but she is human." She prepared herself for the words that he was about to speak. Pam fully expected to be punished for her observation into their relationship.

The air around them was quiet and it was tense. He looked at her, he took her words in and repeated them in his mind. "She is human."

"Pam…child, I can understand why you would be concerned for me. We have been together for many centuries. And, because of that you know me better than any other being on this Earth. Every other being except her. I have not taken a bonded before because of this. I have never wanted to be so emotionally attached to another person, human or otherwise. I have never had the need to be attached to anything other than myself." He looked at her intently. "She has changed my entire world. Yes, she is human, she is mortal and she is fragile. And for that reason, I will protect her. I will sacrifice myself before I let anything harm her. If I meet my final death protecting her at least I will be able to know that she loved me, every part of me, the evil and the good. Until death parts us, that is when I will stop protecting her. Until death parts us." He slid himself down next to her and watched her sleep. He was ready to go into battle with whatever force was threatening them. "Until death parts us." He whispered to her sleeping body.

Pam became rigid with his response to her distress. His words echoed inside her head. She had really just heard him all but give his 1000 year old life in place of this human girl's. For a moment she ached to have someone in her life that cared that deeply for her. She watched him with her, took in the emotions that he had and was so comfortable showing. Suddenly she realized that she did have someone that would sacrifice himself for her, it was him. He was her maker, she was his child. He would go to battle for her just as he would for Sookie, only it would be for different reasons. It would not be out of bonded love, it would be for that of a maker and a child. She straightened herself and decided that she would do everything possible to see that they remained safe, happy…alive.

He was too involved in watching his love rest so peacefully, he never knew that Pam had silently disappeared. He thought about calling her back to discuss their plans further, but opted against it. He was perfectly content to stay with her right there for as long as possible. He was confident that Pam knew what to do, he did not need to reiterate how important it was to be…cautious. It was still more than and hour away from closing time, he would not go back to the bar without her. He remained by her side.

He allowed himself to slip into a somewhat alert form of downtime. He was vaguely aware of everything going on around him. He could hear Pam closing up the bar for the night. It was safe to try and gently move her into the car. He kept her wrapped in the blanket and slid his arms underneath her body. With one quick and soundless motion he was cradling her in his arms and exiting the building. He paused for a moment to inhale the air around them, making sure everything was as it should be.

He carefully placed her in the car, she scowled in her sleep as he removed his arms from her body. So far, so good. She was still asleep and he was sure that he could get her home and in bed without disturbing her.

He drove quickly, effortlessly through the familiar streets. He felt that if he could get them back home, into their own safe environment, all would be better. They were about three minutes from home when she began to talk in her sleep. This was very unusual, he had never heard her say anything as she slept.

"Eric, no. Don't, don't. Please…Eric!" Her voice was hoarse with sleep and strain. Whatever she was dreaming was very upsetting, he could feel her body tremble. Her voice settled down and she became silent again. It would not last long.

"Eric, you can't leave me. Don't leave me, don't go…please." He saw a tear fall from her tightly closed eye. He didn't know whether he should wake her from this nightmare, or allow it to pass. He parked in the drive and waited.

Her body had relaxed again. He watched her for the next fifteen minutes, making sure she was relaxed enough to move into the house. Again, he cradled her and walked her directly to their bedroom, only he brought her to his daytime bed. He was not ready to be away from her.

He didn't even bother to undress her. He removed her shoes and her belt, but that was the extent of it. As soon as he laid her down on the bed he felt her body relax into the familiar location. He undressed and slid in next to her. She felt his body and curled into him, tucking her head into his chest under his chin. She wrapped her arms around his waist and held him. She held him as though she was never going to feel his body again.


	9. Chapter 9

She did not remember coming home last night, in fact she did not remember even falling asleep. She turned on her side and saw that they were cocooned in the hideous afghan. She smiled as she kissed his forehead and brushed the hair away from his face. She did not remember the dream that had invaded her sleep the night before.

She snuck out of the room and went to the bathroom to tend to her 'human needs'. She washed her face and brushed her teeth. She looked like death warmed over. Her eyes were blood shot from crying so hard the night before, the skin around them puffy. She really needed a cup of coffee to lift her spirits.

It was almost 11am, she was happy to be up before noon. Hell, she was happy to be up before the sun had set for the night. She made the conscious decision to not think about last night until she had to. She would not worry and cry and panic. Right now she thought of happier things, she was getting married, in five days.

As she drank her coffee and read the paper she heard the doorbell. She was not expecting anyone, no one had mentioned anything to her about stopping by. She felt her heart jump into her throat, her pulse quickened and she started to sweat. She walked towards the door, tiptoeing every step of the way.

She looked through the peep hole and saw a delivery truck and a man wearing a uniform that matched the large vehicle parked outside the house.

"Can I help you?" She shouted through the massive entry doors.

"Yeah, I got a delivery for a Claudine Ferry?" He read the name as if English was his second language.

"I'm sorry, did you say _Claudine Ferry. _What company are you from?" She repeated the name in her head and dropped her mental shield to try and pick up what he was really there for.

"I'm here to deliver a package from Isabella's Bridal Boutique." _Christ lady just sign for the damn package. I got another ten stops before lunch. Isabella is a bitch. I really hate this job. Christ almighty, open the door and take the friggin' box._

She felt safe in her exploration, she clicked the door open and signed the name Claudine Ferry. She knew Eric never gave anyone his actual name and residential address. Anything for him was normally sent in care of Fangtasia. She knew exactly what this was…her dress.

She floated her way upstairs and into the bedroom. She gently laid the large box on the bed and ran her fingers over the intricate detail of the scrolled name. She was lightheaded at the idea of seeing this dress. What if she didn't like it? What if it was something that she had seen at the bar so many times, only instead of black it was white? Would he buy her a wedding dress that was just a more innocent form of fang banger slut?

Only one way to find out, she carefully removed the gold ribbon and lifted the top of the box. There were layers and layers of tissue paper, alternating white and gold. It did not smell like cardboard, or the empty scent of a warehouse. The filler inside the box was softly scented with the smell of…gardenia.

She moved the last piece of delicate tissue out of the way and stared down at her gown. He was right, it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She was afraid to touch the delicate fabric. She was nervous even being this close to this work of art. She actually got up and went into the bathroom to wash her hands…again.

She noticed the name on the label right away. She had seen it hundreds of times in fashion magazines, and all of the celebrities were usually asked who they were wearing on red carpets. This dress probably cost more than what her car was worth. He sure did know how to make a girl happy.

She brushed her fingers across the material, it was soft and cool. Finally she got the nerve to remove it from the box. She slipped her fingers into the dress and carefully lifted it from the packaging.

It was the most stunning color. It was not harsh white, too often she had seen a bride in a white wedding dress, not realizing that the white was so stark, it actually had a violet hue. It was not pure white, but it was not ivory. It was just the right shade of…cream.

The material felt like organza, but it had a gorgeous overlay of delicate lace. It was not screaming look at me. It was subtle, elegant, classic. She looked at the detail in the dress. It was strapless and had the most beautiful detail around the bodice. She looked closer, it was tiny pearls. They must have each been sewn on by hand, they were way too small for a machine to have worked.

It had a very small train, she would not have to worry about tripping on her dress as she walked. The same tiny pearls that adorned the top half of the dress also adorned the hem. Scattered throughout the body she caught a glimpse of the same detail. It was not heavy and crowded. It was so delicate, it looked as though each pearls spot was chosen. There was no particular pattern, just added in the area that would catch the light and jump off the gown.

She looked at the silhouette, it was not slinky. It just looked like it would fall perfectly from her hips. She was in love with this dress. She loved the way it felt, the way it looked, the way it smelled. She dropped her clothes and slid the fabric over her head. It fell over her body like it was made only for her. She smoothed the dress over her body and admired her reflection. As expected, it fit her perfectly.

She practiced walking across the room, testing the way it felt when her hips swayed back and forth. She practiced dancing a little, making sure that her well endowed top was endowed enough to hold this work of art on her body.

She walked back towards the box and spotted a letter in the bottom. She recognized the familiar script that spelled her name. She opened the envelope and read his words.

_Lover,_

_I have no doubt that this gown was meant for you, just as I was meant for you. I dream of you, wearing this dress, walking towards me. I can not wait to marry you. This dress is one of a kind, made for only you. Please, search the gown and find what makes this dress so special. I love you._

_Love,_

_E_

_PS- When you find it, consider it your something Blue._

She took the dress from her body and carefully laid it on the bed. She flipped the hem of the skirt up and saw it instantly. In beautiful, ice blue silk thread were the letters…EN and SN. He had their initials sewn into the dress.


	10. Chapter 10

Normally, the sight of her soon to be moniker would have sent waves of joy through her body. At first it did, it absolutely took her breath away. But not for the reasons a bride to be would think. She stared at the letters, the initials, the monogram. She thought about Eric, taking his name, becoming his wife, in more than just the bonded way. She was suddenly petrified.

The nightmares that had invaded her mind last night became fresh in her memory. She remembered watching Eric, he was hurt, fatally. He went to protect her, as usual, only this time he paid with his life. It was not a bullet wound, a blow to the head, it was something far worse. She could see his body disintegrating before her eyes. She begged him not to leave her, but it was a selfish wish. He was dead, finally dead.

She could not see the cause of his death, just his face right before his body went limp. She could not see the attack, the person behind the pain. She closed her eyes and tried to remember. All she kept returning to was Eric, laying before her, turning to dust. She was hyperventilating. The flood of her mind and the memory was too much for her to take. She couldn't even remember the location of the attack.

She tried to calm herself, level her breathing, stop herself from shaking. It was no use, she was too far beyond control. As she breathed faster and faster, the air became heavier and heavier. Her head was dizzy and she could feel the heat all around her. She fell to the bedroom floor. She had never been a fainter, but the thoughts of Eric being finally dead was something her body was not able to process. Her body betrayed her and took the easy way out, at least as she lay unconscious on the floor she did not have to think about the horror she had just remembered.

When she woke she had a burning pain in her head. It was similar to the pain she felt the night before. She sat up, she wasn't on the floor as she remembered. She felt around with her hands…pillows, blanket? How did she get into bed. She looked at the illuminated numbers of the clock on the nightstand. It was past 7:00, she was passed out for more than six hours? This was not a usual fainting spell, from what she knew about fainting it didn't last more than a few minutes. That brought her to her next worry, Eric would have been the one to find her.

She scanned the room and felt for him. He was very close by, but he was not beside her in bed. Her eyes darted in every direction. She found his eyes, he was sitting silently in an arm chair that he brought into the room. He watched her as she silently thanked God that he was with her and not dust blowing through the air. She opened her mouth to speak, but he held his hand up before she could get any noise from her mouth.

"Tell me, in the dream were you able to see anyone, anyone at all that might be a threat to us?" His voice was so quiet she had to strain to hear it, even with her heightened senses.

She looked at him silently, taking in his question. How did he know that she remembered having this dream?

"No." A simple answer was best.

"Tell me what you saw." his voice only a fraction louder.

"I can't…I can't say the words. Please, I don't want to remember anymore." She begged him not to force the issue.

"Sookie, you must. I need to know what caused such a reaction inside of our bodies." He was not going to let her stay quiet.

"Our bodies? What do you mean our bodies? Eric…what do you mean our bodies? " She was so scared. What the hell was happening?

"I felt it. I felt the fear, I knew something was terribly wrong. I woke early, earlier than usual. The sun was not quite down, but I needed to get to you. I knew that you were not awake. I felt a void in our bond, like something had taken a piece of you away." He finally stood up and walked towards her, slowly.

"It was terrible…you were hurt, fatally. There was nothing I could do to save you. You were gone, finally." She looked at the comforter on the bed and did her best to avoid his face. She couldn't handle his look of pity.

As he sat down on the bed beside her she felt a rush of warmth and security. He was comforting the both of them through their bond. Her face jerked up and met his eyes. He didn't speak, there were no words to say. She touched her hand to his cheek, reassuring the fact that he was right beside her, with her, helping her.

At that point all they wanted to do was reaffirm that they could feel each other and they were together. She wrapped her body around him, pulling him directly on top of her. She kissed him and waited for the response that she so desperately needed. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and she felt a growl emerge from his throat. Her hands flew up to his hair, she could definitely feel her love. She pushed back with her tongue, only causing him to press harder.

The pain that was throbbing in her head was gone, it was replaced with the hum of their lives. She ran her fingers down his spine, feeling him shudder on top of her. His lips were everywhere, he kissed her body everywhere he could see her skin. He was only wearing a pair of jeans, he must have pulled them on after he woke and got her into bed. She helped remove them and ran her hands down in between their bodies. He pushed into her hand as he felt it graze his very ready length.

She reveled in his pleasure, thoroughly enjoying every growl, moan and whimper his body made at her hands. He had stopped kissing her, he was totally involved in being touched and stroked by her hand. She saw that he had closed his eyes and she watched him, silently. She loved him, every part of him, every emotion, every feeling. She kissed him lightly on his exposed neck and let her teeth skim over the cool flesh.

The minute he felt her teeth and her mouth he snapped his eyes open. He looked at her, she had seen that look many times before. He was ready to have her and he was going to take her. Again, his lips were on hers, pressing his tongue deep inside of her mouth. She felt the heat explode throughout her body. She was ready to be taken.

Her kiss deepened, silently begging him to ravage her. He looked down at her and he winked. She loved it when he was in a playful mood. He was inside of her, the void that he had felt earlier was long gone. He was slow, he was allowing himself to be one with her. He needed to be one with her, her body, her soul.

She arched her body towards him and felt him get that much deeper inside of her. He let out a throaty moan when she did this and he could feel the new depth. She wrapped her legs around his body, holding him close to her. He rested his head on her shoulder and licked her flesh as he slowly thrust into her. If this was the pace they were going to take they could keep this up all night.

She felt completely whole. Making love to him was always an experience and tonight the experience involved the two of them savoring each other. He was still slow and strong. She reached around and cupped her hands over his butt, her most favorite area. He lifted his head off of her shoulder and stared down at her. His eyes were practically glowing with their intense blue. He shifted his weight and took her face in between his hands, rubbing his fingers over her skin.

"Lover, I will find this person. I will find the person that has disrupted our lives and I will make them suffer. I will kill them, slowly and cruelly. I will make them feel as terrified as you have felt…" This wasn't his usual bedroom talk, but he was clearly getting more aroused at the idea of hunting this person down. His pace quickened, she could feel the animal inside of him.

She was ashamed, the idea of Eric finding this person and hurting him was turning her on as well. She had accepted that part of him, but it was not often exposed to her. She dug her fingers into his back and felt him press harder inside of her.

"Eric…Oh, God." She was getting ready to climax. They had been keeping their slow and excruciating pace for a very long time. All she could think about was her life with him. "Eric…Oh, …make sure you get them all." She breathed heavily into his ear.

Her acceptance of his plan to find and take out their enemy had pushed him well into his own climax. He sank his fangs into her breast and she screamed his name. She was completely satisfied and he was still shuttering as her blood lingered in his mouth. Thank goodness it was Monday, they could stay in bed and enjoy the company of each other for a bit longer…Fangtasia was closed.


	11. Chapter 11

As they laid wrapped in each others arms they could feel the calm start to settle over them. The decision had been made, he was going to pursue and hunt to responsible party. If he found out who was behind this plot it would not turn out well, for them. She had agreed, she was fully behind his choice. She knew that he was vampire, he was not going to turn this matter over to the police.

When they were both secure enough with each other's well being he finally spoke.

"So, did you get my delivery?" He looked at her and smiled, anticipating her reaction to the dress.

"There was no delivery for you or me? There was a delivery for _Claudine Ferry_. Could that be what you are speaking of?" She raised her eyebrows and waited.

"Yes, that would be the one. I never have anything delivered here. I made an exception for you lover." He whispered in her ear. "So tell me, what did you think?" He knew what her answer would be.

"Eric, it is beautiful, it fits perfectly. If I had a hundred dresses in front of me that would be the one I picked out. I love it, thank you." She gushed at the memory of the gown. Then she realized that she never put the dress back in the box it was delivered in, last she saw it the dress was laid out on the bed. "Where is it?" She looked around.

"I took care of it, it is back in the box and wrapped. Care to model it for me, I have no problem repackaging." He smirked.

"Um…no. You already got to see the dress. I'm varying the tradition. You Don't get to see _me_ in the dress until Saturday. I want it to be a surprise, and it will be." She poked her finger at him to make her point.

"You are an evil woman. I have thought about you that dress for what feels like an eternity. Now you are going to make me wait longer?" He sounded like a child.

"You've waited 1000 years, you can certainly wait five days." She was standing her ground.

"Very well, I will just have to punish you at a later time for denying me." He got out of the bed and said the words over his shoulder. He dressed and turned around to look at her.

"I have some calls I need to make. Let's go get you something to eat so we can move along." He was very matter of fact.

She was unsure if those calls involved business or pleasure, but given the current state of their lives it could go either way. She bounced out of the bed and threw on a pair of jeans and t-shirt.

He offered to make her something to eat but she declined. She had taken care of herself for a long time and sometimes she felt uncomfortable with all of his attentions. She whipped together a sandwich and salad, nothing fancy, she still hadn't gone to the grocery store.

She offered to heat him a bottle of blood, but he had just had hers. She knew that he was not needing any type of nourishment. He pulled out his cell phone as she ate her food.

"Pam, meet us here. We will talk then." He snapped the phone closed and smiled.

"Anything I should know?" She questioned the abrupt conversation.

"Not at the current moment, but I will tell you when it becomes necessary." His face did not seem very serious. She thought that there was no way he was talking about the person that was hired to kill them. She just looked at him with curious eyes.

"In time lover, in time you will know." Again he smiled.

"Sometimes you are so damn vague that I just want to choke the facts out of you." She was in between annoyed and mildly amused.

"Choke the facts out of me? Lover, you must learn to control your temper?" He placed his hand on her face and pinched her cheek like he was a long lost relative seeing a toddler for the first time.

She stared at him, she wanted to take his fingers and snap them.

"Eric, that's real rich. Control my temper? I'm sorry, but aren't you the big, bad, Sheriff? Aren't you the one that sends bar customers flying across the room with your foot if you don't want them near you? I'm thinking I'm not the one with the problem temper." She was squinting her eyes and daring him to keep it up.

He laughed that deep, low laugh that had always made her feel more comfortable around him. Even when he was cursed and without his memory that laugh had provided her comfort and let her know that he was really Eric. He laughed for several minutes. There was a knock at the door, Pam was already there. Talk about quick response time, Eric had only hung the phone up a few minutes ago. He bent down and kissed her, never even recognizing the comment about his temper, and let Pam in.

"Sookie, nice to see you as always." Her tone suggested otherwise, but that was just Pam.

"Hey Pam, nice to see you too." She at least sounded happy.

"Eric, I have nothing yet to report. I will let you know as soon as I do and we will track this bastard down. When we finally…" Her voice trailed off and Pam's eyes focused on her. Pam did not want to say the words in front of her.

"It's ok Pam. When you finally find him you'll thoroughly enjoy killing him. Yeah, been over this already. I'm fine, I can handle it." She straightened her back and took in a deep breath.

"Well, how very practical of you Sookie." She gave her a very slight smile. "Yes…we will enjoy it very much." Her fangs slid down a little and she touched her tongue to the tip on one. Eric handed her a warm bottle of blood and laughed quietly.

"And now, to happier thoughts. Did you do what I asked?" Eric waited for her response.

"Yes, it is all set. I think that you will be most pleased." Pam gave him a positive nod of her head. Her pale hair swung as her head bobbed back and forth.

"Excellent, lets go into the other room and talk further." He motioned for the both of them to follow him. She just looked at him as Pam followed her orders.

"Come lover, we have many things to talk about." He took her hand and led her into the living room.

"Sookie, Pam is going to help us with the rest of the wedding plans. She has waited a very long time to be able to help with a wedding. She is most excited about this." He said this in a vary teasing manner and Pam ignored him.

"Well, yes, I suppose that I am happy to help. I have read many articles where a bride seeks advise on things such as seating arrangements and family politics. At least we don't have to worry about the menu." Leave it to Pam to point out the obvious.

"Well, not for you." She replied in a tense voice.

"Well of course not for us. Eric has already ordered enough Royalty Blend to feed us for a month. Besides, your non-vampire guests can eat chicken." Pam loved to test her bounds.

"Chicken…chicken, sounds good to me!" She wasn't going to indulge Pam. She looked at her and she had a disappointed look on her face.

"Fine." She scrawled something on a pad of paper in her lap. Eric couldn't help but chuckle at their little exchange.

"Eric, I got in touch with Abraham, he has agreed to perform the ceremony. He offers his sincere congratulations." Pam never even raised her eyes from the pad of paper.

"Excellent, lover you will be very happy with his services. He is an old friend, I have seen him preside over many weddings." He was very pleased, it could be heard in his voice. She just smiled and nodded. Did she really care who Abraham was, or what he was?

"Sookie, you must chose a Maid of Honor. It is tradition that a bride chooses a family member or friend to wear an awful dress and run tedious errands." Pam gave her with a very bored look.

"Oh, well, I don't have any family. I guess that only leaves friends. I could ask Amelia. But what about you?" She thought about her options.

"Me, really? Why on Earth would you want me to wear an awful dress?" She truly looked puzzled.

"Well, we're friends…at least I hope we're friends. You've done a lot for me, for me and for Eric. I would like to have you be a part of the wedding." She hoped her explanation was sufficient. "But, I love Amelia like a sister. Can I have two Maid of Honors?" She did not want to chose between the two.

"Fine, Amelia and I will both wear awful dresses." Again she was scrawling information down on the paper. Eric winked at her, happy that she wanted Pam to stand up for her. He also knew that Pam was actually thrilled at the idea.

"I do not want red dresses for the two of you. It's just so cliché…vampires, red. I want something more unexpected. How about white, the same color as my dress?" She was picturing the details in her mind.

"White? If you want white than we shall wear white?" Pam gave no opinion either way as to whether or not she liked the color. While they began discussing the details of the wedding further Eric had silently excused himself from the room. She never even noticed that he had disappeared.


	12. Chapter 12

He had gone upstairs and was calling Bill. He didn't want her to hear the conversation in case it did not go well.

"Bill…we have something to discuss." There was a silent pause, "Bill, you will listen to me as you are required. When I am done speaking I will ask your opinion, are we understood?" Another pause and a silent sigh of relief. "Yes, this is about her. It is about her and I, and our future together." He waited to hear if there was going to be an argument, or even a sound of disgust. But, Bill was obeying the orders before him. "Sookie has agreed to marry me, this Saturday. Now, as little as I care for your attendance, Sookie has expressed her wish to have you there. She is the most forgiving person I know, and I think we both know there is no talking any sense into her. She harbors no hard feelings towards you, even after everything you have put her through. She actually credits you with bringing the two of us together." The last piece of information was merely to torture him a little. "So, Bill…I am calling to extend a formal invitation to our wedding. I will not order you to attend, it is a choice that you are being offered. Just remember, this is her desire." He waited to see if Bill was now ready to voice his many opinions on their relationship and their future.

Bill's only reply was that he needed to think about it. That was fine by Eric, he could care less if he was at his wedding. At least he extended the invitation and provided him the choice. If he decided not to attend it would be his doing that hurt her, not his.

His next call was to Jason. He knew the situation that had brought he and Sookie to the crossroads in their relationship. He did not particularly like Jason, but he was her brother.

"Good evening Jason. I am assured that my associate Pam has informed you that I would be calling. Excellent, I am happy to hear that you enjoyed Pam's visit." He had sent Pam there earlier to view the property where Sookie wanted to get married. "Jason, your sister and I are getting married, this Saturday. Now I understand that you have had some difficulties in these past months. I think that it is very important that you try and settle these differences, I would like you to attend the wedding." He listened carefully as Jason responded to his request. "Jason, I would also like you to allow us to use the property at your house for our ceremony." He pursed his lips together and sighed heavily. "I think you should remember that Sookie is your only sister, and I will take it as a personal insult if you do not agree to allow us use of the land." His voice was very, very serious. He didn't have to actually threaten Jason, he knew that his tone alone would get him exactly what he wanted. "Jason…it is in your best interest to agree and move on." His face became less tense and his body relaxed. "I am happy to hear that. She will be very pleased, as I am. Thank you for your time, we will see you on Saturday." He was thrilled that he had taken care of those two details with no interruptions.

He made his way back down stairs and saw the two girls giggling and swapping ideas. Another pleasing sight. He brushed by her and let his finger trace a line over the back of her neck. Instant warmth and calm filled the bond. She touched her hand to his and reached up to kiss him.

Pam rolled her eyes and make a gagging noise.

"Now that's real mature Pam." She spat

"About as mature as you two acting like horny teenagers." Pam looked between the two of them and couldn't hold in her approving laugh.

In the time that he was upstairs the tow girls had all but planned the entire event. Dresses, flowers, food, guests…everything. Pam was so what disappointed that it didn't take longer.

"Thanks for all your help Pam, I really appreciate it. I'll call Amelia and let her know that she has been volunteered to wear an awful dress with you. I'm sure she'll be thrilled." She was relaxed and confident with the plans they had made.

"Very well, I am sure that I can speak to the owner of the bridal boutique and explain to her exactly what you are looking for. The dresses should not be a problem, I will see that they are ready for Saturday. I am very…persuasive." Pam loved to give orders.

"I'm sure you are. Don't kill her, she needs to be around in case I have a problem with my dress last minute…promise." She was laughing slightly.

"I can make no such promise, but I will make sure that she is around until at least Saturday." Point blank, matter of fact, Pam.

"Lover, I am sure that Pam will not harm Isabella…will you Pam?" He glared at her in the most teasing of ways.

"No, I won't harm her." Her voice was annoyed.

"So, ladies, has everything been handled? Is there anything else that needs to be taken care of?" He looked at her and appeared pleased with the night.

"Nope, we're good honey. All you need to do is show up with a ring." She had hoped that he remembered that he needed to get a ring.

"Already taken care of lover. And don't worry, only my final death could keep me away." He gave her a smoldering look laced with desire.

"Uck, enough already. Haven't you two already gotten enough of each other today?" Pam was rolling her eyes again.

"Never, I will never have enough. Pam, get used to it." He took her in his arms and kissed her deeply. Pam again rolled her eyes, silently.

"Alright, lets not make Pam uncomfortable." She poked him in the hip. She was being sarcastic. Pam was about as modest as Eric. A little PDA would not make her uncomfortable. Pam was merely giving him a hard time, as usual.

They sat and made small talk for a little while. They discussed the bar and a possible new business venture. They all avoided the topic of a hired hand trying to take either one of them out. It was right there, they were all thinking about it, but no one was willing to bring it up. It weighed on all of their minds, heavily.

She thought about the fear of losing him and not being able to protect him. He thought that he would be unable to survive without her and how void and destroyed his life would be. Pam thought about failing her Master and not being able to stop whatever this was. Pam was great at taking direction from Eric. She always obeyed the orders given by him and had never failed him. Now, she was actually feeling nervous about the task at hand. It wasn't that she didn't think that she could handle the danger. It was more simple than that. Pam felt that he had become an easy target because of his bonded. She was scared that if it came down to saving Eric or Sookie, she would pick Eric…and he would never forgive her.

Pam's cell phone rang, the number flashed as unavailable. She looked at the tow of them and hesitantly answered.

"This is Pam." She was silent for several minutes. Her eyes were focused on the wall, but there was nothing for her to be gazing at. Her eyes went wide and her body stiffened. "I see…I will pass the information along." She very slowly removed the phone from her ear and placed it back in her bag. "We need to talk." No emotion, no drama, just her quiet and calm voice.

TBC…..


	13. Chapter 13

Her body was screaming, she knew just by the way Pam looked that this could not be good. She found herself quickly finding the couch to alleviate the pressure in her knees.

"Pam, who was that?" She knew that she would not get a name, just the summary of the conversation. Pam looked at her with an apology in her eyes.

"Eric, Sookie…the information was regarding this contract that you spoke of. One of our contacts was able to snoop around and get a very small fragment of a lead. The lead is pointing him in the direction of Victor." Pam did not need to elaborate on the single name…Victor.

"Victor? The inside person thinks that Victor has something to do with this? If he planned on killing me he could have done it the night of the takeover. He had vamps from his own territory with him, they would have easily out numbered us?" His eyes were narrow as he tried to process this information.

"Yes, but he was there on orders from the King. Our contact did not seem to think the King was involved. I think that Victor has taken matters into his own hands. Eric, it appears that Victor has his eyes on Area 5." Pam was raising her eyebrow at the two of them.

She had heard enough. The idea had sunk into her head…Victor wanted Eric's territory and he was willing to kill to get it. She could feel her body become enraged and suddenly she came to a very disturbing conclusion.

"He doesn't want to kill Eric…he's hoping he gets me. If he kills Eric, and Felipe finds out he'll be tried and he'll be punished, maybe even killed. He wants me dead. That's the best way to get to Eric. He thinks that if he kills me Eric will be unable to perform his duties as Sheriff. The king will have no choice but to remove Eric and allow Victor to take over." Her mind was racing and her mouth was just exploding with all of these words.

He and Pam just looked at her, she was making sense. Victor could easily hire someone to kill a human. He has enough money to offer the big payout the assassin was thinking about. Then, Victor could kill the hired hand and no one would be any wiser.

"Sookie, you must not discuss this with anyone. We can not let on that we have any idea that this is happening." Pam took the lead as Eric still appeared to be shuffling through his thoughts.

"Right…you're right Pam. Why would I want to tell anyone that a crazed vamp has a price on my head. That would just be silly, and besides, who would believe me, right?" She was kind of losing it. "I mean, seriously…who the hell would I tell Pam? With my luck whoever I told would be dead before me. This is great, this is just great. I am not going to let some evil, bastard vamp kill me. I will not be the reason the Eric loses everything!" She was bordering on hysterical. Eric quickly realized that he needed to step in.

"My love, Victor Madden will not get to you. He will not get to you and he will not get to me. We will extinguish this…_situation_ before it gets out of hand." He sat beside her and did his best to push calm through the bond.

"No, Eric…No. I will not just let you tell me that everything is going to be fine. I have a freakin' contract on my life. Maybe you and all your vamp shit can handle this, but I can not just be calm and wait. It's like walking into a trap. I sit and wait and be killed. You go out there to protect me and you get killed. No…" Her eyes were terrified and he could feel just how scared she was. He cut her off to stop her mouth from working in overdrive.

"Sookie, no one expects you to wait and be killed. But, we need to handle this with delicate hands. We need to plan and execute and maneuver. We need to beat him at his own game, and right now that means doing nothing. You must trust us." He took her hands and rubbed his fingers over the back of her palms. "You must trust me." He took her head and pressed it gently into his chest. He stroked her hair as she began to cry.

She was helpless, there was nothing she could do to make the situation better. She knew that he was right, but it just felt so wrong to her. She was never one to sit around and let things happen. She was proactive, she was a fighter. Now that very instinct was being told to wait. She cried and cried as she realized that this was the only option. He could feel the strength to fight release itself from her body. She was giving in, she was going to listen, she was going to follow whatever instruction he had for her.

"Pam, I want the exact details by tomorrow night. I want everything and I don't care if you have to torture his underlings to get it. Make sure that whoever gives you this information is killed. I don't want any witnesses to lead Victor back to us." His voice was forceful and it was that of a vampire that has existed for 1000 years. He was prepared and he was going into survival mode.

"Yes Sheriff, I understand fully what is expected. I will be on my way to begin our plan. Sookie, rest well." Pam bowed her head deeply and left silently. The only noise was the sound of the door closing behind her.

"Eric, what if…" She was cut off.

"We will not begin with _what if. _I will not talk of _what if._ Hear me now…Victor has made an unwise decision. He will pay with his life and he will take many with him if needed. He will be punished lover. He will be punished." He grabbed her and held her as tight as he ever had in the past. "We are too close to have everything taken away. I care nothing of losing my Area. It is nothing in comparison to you. If asked, I would hand him my territory if it meant protecting you. Yes, an unwise decision indeed." His mind was meandering around the thought of Victor losing his head due to the blade of his sword.

"I'm scared. I am so scared." Her voice was shaking.

"I know." He tried to calm her and settle her nerves.

"I do trust you. I trust you with everything, I just don't know if I trust myself. I don't know if I can be strong and brave, I'm so tired of being strong." She sounded weak and wounded.

"I will be strong for you." He rubbed her back and kissed her head. "I will be strong for us."

She let him hold her for a long time. She needed to be held and rocked and reassured. She kept going over and over everything in her head. Victor would kill her in order to take over Eric's territory. He would think nothing of ending her life a the snap of his finger. He was vampire, that was his nature.

But, Eric was vampire also. He was a vampire that was being backed into a corner and being forced into action. It was also his instinct to kill. She was afraid to picture this looming battle. Eric was vampire, he was a warrior. He was going to use everything he knew of battle to take Victor down. She knew it would not be pleasant, it would not be anything she would want to witness. She knew that he would shield her from horror of what was to come.


	14. Chapter 14

_When the bond was calm enough they looked at each other. She was so fraught with the idea that she would just have to wait. He knew that it was taking her an enormous amount of self control to not go running for the bastard herself. It would not be the first time she had run into the face of danger without thinking twice._

"_Lover, I know that you are desperate to bring this to an end. The end will come, whether we sit and plan, or go into battle with nothing but our heads. Victor thinks that he is smart, thinks that he is more deceiving than me. His arrogance makes me want to rip his throat out…but patience. We must have patience as we gather ourselves and get ready." He rubbed his hand over her face, smoothing her hair._

"_I know…I know. But, how is Pam going to get anyone to talk? And if she does get them to talk, and kills them, won't that still leave a trail back to us? There doesn't seem to be a way to get this information without drawing attention to me and you." Her face looked exhausted and her shoulders were slumping into her body. She felt like she was on the losing end of a beating._

"_Pam is an excellent soldier, she knows how to work in ways that you could not begin to understand. She has been helping me for a very long time. She was taught by the best." He smirked at her, hoping it would bring her a little joy. Her face did brighten, even if for only a moment._

"_Right, Pam knows how to torture people and get rid of the body with no witnesses and no leads back to us" Her voice was lacking any emotion, it was just the way it was. "But don't you think Victor might start to notice that his people are just mysteriously disappearing? Won't he realize that someone knows something, and that will bring him right to us. Then What?" She looked at him hoping he had a backup plan._

"_Sookie, that is my hope." He was very calm and very quiet._

"_You hope he figures out that his vamps have gone missing? And you hope that he comes looking for us? Eric, why?" She was very nervous to hear his response._

"_Lover, I want him as close to me as possible. I want to watch him as he realizes that he has been caught. I want to see him panic and make a tragic mistake. Lover, I want to lead him right into the lion's den." His voice made her body shiver with fear._

"_So you want to lure him to us?" She looked away because she was too scared to look at him and see that this was exactly what he wanted._

"_Once I get him in front of me, there will be no escape. It will be taken care of and he will be finally dead." He almost sounded amused._

"_And what if he doesn't figure out that he's losing vamps left and right? Then how do you plan on getting him to us?" Her body could feel the answer before he even spoke it._

"_We invite him to our wedding." His eyes were glowing a blue that she had never seen before. He was anticipating the fight, he was getting ready._

_She didn't respond to him, she simply exhaled a shaking breath. She couldn't stand the thought of having him at her wedding. All she could picture was Eric attacking him right after they are pronounced husband and wife. She stood and looked directly into his eyes._

"_Eric, this is not going to turn out well. I hate the idea of him at the wedding. I hate the fact that this is happening to us. I hate everything about this…but you're the warrior. You know better and I trust you. Just remember, I am nothing without you. I will do whatever you need me to do, even if I hate it." Her voice was firm and she was making her very strong point. She trusted him with everything, and everything to her was him. She turned away from him and walked upstairs. She needed to remove herself from the conversation. She needed to relax and unwind her body and mind. She needed a very hot bath._

_He could tell that she was not wanting any company at that time. The feelings she was pushing through the bond were all but telling him to not bother her. She needed to be alone, she did not need to hear any more about his plan of attack. He sat back on the couch and concentrated and brain stormed. He needed this to go his way. He needed to make sure that they were not harmed. Her words echoed in his mind, __I am nothing without you. _He needed to make sure that she was left with everything, not nothing.

She started the water in the tub and watched it fill. She just sat and stared at the water pouring out of the faucet. She was too tired to replay the night in her head. All she knew was that it was most likely Victor that wanted her dead, and he wanted her dead in order to take something from Eric. It was really like taking out two for the price of one. Kill her and Eric would be devastated. Everyone in his vamp circle knows how closely they are bonded. He would not be unable to function due to the emptiness. The pain would most likely drive him mad, or cause him to run from the area. And if per chance Eric was taken out, his territory would immediately be up for grabs, and she was fair game to any vamp that wanted to use her gift. She would be hunted and forced into a life of servitude. If her bonded was finally dead no one could lay claim to her. She would most likely end up a prisoner to the King, or another high profile vamp. Her stomach was sick.

If Eric was taken out she wouldn't even be able to run. They would find her and they would take her against her will. As the water reached the top of the tub she made a life altering decision. She couldn't speak the words just yet, but soon…she would need to tell Eric. She undressed and slipped herself in to the hot water. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes tightly, one tear fell from her eye just before they shut.

He did not like the way the bond was feeling. It was causing him to feel pain and sadness. He felt unsure and unnerved. He was wondering what she was thinking about. It was not of the battle that he and Victor would soon have. Those feelings included rage and anger. This was definitely something different, it made him think about going to her. He pushed the feeling aside, she had wanted to be alone. He was not going to intrude and demand the reason for her…_desperation_? 

The water felt so good on her body. She could feel the tension falling right out of her muscles. She did her best to avoid thinking about Victor. Instead she went over the plans that she and Pam had made that night. She thought about the style dresses they were going to wear. The flowers that she wanted to carry and that she wanted to decorate with. She thought about the fact that she needed just a tiny wedding cake. If half the guests are vamp and the other have human, or at least mostly human, the cake could definitely be small. She needed to be out tomorrow to run these types pf errands. She knew that she was going to have to call Amelia, Eric would not let her go anywhere alone.

Maybe she should call Sam? At least he could protect her in a more primal way. She thought about that some more…Sam would not appreciate going on a wedding scavenger hunt with her. Tasting cake and smelling flowers? Nope, do not ask Sam. That would almost seem cruel. She did know how he felt about her, that was really not a good idea.

Amelia it is…at least she's a witch. She could ask her to put some spell on them that put like a bubble around them. If anyone tried to attack they would just bounce of the force that Amelia set up around. She laughed as she pictured this in her mind. People running at them, weapons drawn, and then just bouncing away after hitting the invisible shield. She would have to talk about that one with her witch friend.

She washed her face and her hair, even took the time to shave. When she started to feel cold she got out and toweled herself off. She was feeling better and she felt enough courage to tell Eric what her plan would be, in case something went horribly wrong. She brushed out her hair and grabbed the hair drier. She spent the next fifteen minutes drying her thick, blond mane.

He heard the dryer turn on and knew she was out and he could feel that the bond was more settled. He walked up the stairs and into the bedroom. He could see her standing naked in the bathroom, hair dryer in hand, moving it all over her head. He watched her the entire time. She had no idea that he was there, he had come into the room in silence. He loved the way she looked, just standing there, not caring, completely natural. When she started to turn around he ducked around the corner of the wall. He went and got her robe and took out a nightgown for her to wear.

He snuck up behind her and wrapped the robe around her shoulders. She gave him a very appreciative smile and kissed him on the mouth. Her hair was dry enough, she was ready to talk to him about the unpleasant things that could happen in the very near future. He felt that feeling in the bond again, it made him uncomfortable. He bent his face to hers and pierced her eyes with his blue pools.

"Lover, you have something on your mind, don't you?" He was soft and calm.

"Yes, we need to discuss something. Lets go sit down and get comfortable. I'm a little cold and I think that I'd like to get into bed." She took his hand and dragged him towards the bed. She spotted the nightgown he had taken out for her and tilted her head in a thank you motion.

He watched her slip the gown over her head and smooth it over her body. She picked the robe up and laid it at the end of the bed. 

"Are you going to join me?" She put herself in the bed and under the covers. He looked at her with a puzzled stare. She was not asking him to join her in bed for the reason of pleasure. She was serious and he could feel her heart trembling through the bond. He looked at her, nodded his head, and shed his jeans.

As he slid in next to her he could hear her take in a very long breath, and then release it. She was nervous, she was getting ready for something…big.

"Lover, I think you should tell me what it on your mind." He kissed her hand.

"I will. Just remember, this is my decision to make, not yours. She looked at him and gazed at his features. He was beautiful, she smiled at his beauty. "Eric, do not interrupt me. Let me say what I have to say, ok?" He nodded his head and she continued. "If something goes wrong…if something really bad goes wrong I know what I am going to do. I've made a decision, I know it's the right one to make." She readied herself for the next part of her confession.


	15. Chapter 15

"Eric, if something happens to you, and you are taken away from me. If you are dead, finally dead, I will be in lots of trouble. If you get killed then our bond is gone, and any vampire can step in and claim me as theirs. I know what they will do, I know that I will be forced to do things. Some big vamp will want me for their own benefit and they will make me a prisoner to them. They will do to me what Andre was going to do, only you stopped that. Eric, if you are gone, really gone, I have a plan. I will wait until the sun is up, no vampires can try to take me then. I will wait until the sun is up, and I will take my own life." She could here the gasp from deep inside his body. But before he could interrupt her she began again. "I know it's a bit dramatic, but I can not live my life as someone's prisoner. I will not be forced into doing the bidding for some vamp that only wants me for sex and my ability to read minds. If I kill myself I don't have to worry about anything like that from happening. Plus, I do it during the day and there is no vamp around for me to worry about getting turned. And, if there is any such thing as a vampire after life, you'll be there, waiting for me." She looked at him, tears starting to fill her eyes. "I will not be able to live without you, I would rather be dead than live without you." She was begging for him to understand.

"My love, Sookie…you can not give up. You can not think such things." She noticed that his eyes had become slightly tinged with red. Her words of ending her life had hurt him, deeply. "Sookie, I know that you are right. I know that if something were to happen to me that you would be taken. You would be used and you would be forced into a life of pain and suffering. I can not lie, I know that would happen. I am sorry that this has happened to you. I am sorry that Bill brought you to me those years ago, sorry because it made others like me realize how talented you are. Because of that, my kind would like nothing better than to posses you and own you. I am so sorry, I am sorry lover." He took her and hugged her to him, she felt how completely responsible he felt. The red tinge in his eyes was now beginning to run out. "Sookie, please, you must not talk of ending your life. I can not bare the thought of anyone or anything causing you harm. If something happens to me you can run. You can go with Pam and you can run. She will know how to protect you, she will know where hide you." His voice was determined to talk her out of her plan.

"No…I'm sorry. It's not just the fear of being taken away by someone else. Eric, it's the fact that you will be gone. You will be gone, forever, I can not live and know that half of me has been ripped away. I can live in pain and suffering, and I can handle another vamp using me. What I can't handle is not having you. I would rather be dead with you. I am not willing to live my life if you are not my other half. I will not do it. I have made up my mind." She gave him a look that was clearly telling him that her option was no longer up for discussion.

"Sookie, please?" He held her and shook her lightly. "And what an I supposed to do if something happens to you?" His voice was almost shaking. "What am I to do if you are laying before me, injured and dying? Sookie, am I to turn you? Would you let me save you from mortal death and take you as mine? Would you want me to make you and be with you for all of eternity? We would have forever, we would have each other for always." He was distraught over the decision that he may some day have to make.

"Eric, no…I do not want to be turned. If it is my time to die, well then it's my time. No one is going to swoop in and force you into a life of servitude if I die. At least you will have the chance to go on and continue your life. You will most likely avenge my death, heads will roll, but you will still have your life. You have already made it 1000 years, you have thousand's more years to go. Eric, you will survive if something happens to me. You are a survivor, remember?" She was speaking in a very motherly voice.

"No Sookie…I will not be able to live another 1000 years without you. I don't think I would be able to live a day without you. The pain would be too great, the bond would be shattered and I couldn't handle that. But, if I turned you we would never, never lose our bond. We would be together forever. We would never be without each other." He was trying so hard to change her mind.

"I'm sorry, Eric I do not want to be a vampire. If it is my fate to die then you have to let me go." She turned her face to him and she kissed her cheek, she licked away one of his falling red tears.

"If you do not want me to turn you, and something happens…I will be lost. I will be without my love, without my beating heart, I will be without my soul. If this is your wish then please know, I will meet the sun. I will not be able to survive knowing that I failed you and that I lost everything. And, just as you said, if there is an afterlife somewhere, and I am lucky or forgiven enough to find it, you will be waiting for me." She now knew the pain that he had felt when she had told him her fate. Her body was unable to process what he had just said.

She instinctively put her arms around him and begged him to reconsider, but, she would not be talked out of her plan, what right did she have to be a hypocrite? They held each other and did not speak. The fear of what could happen was just too much to come to grips with. It was a very real possibility, it was a very real danger, and they could be forever changed.

Her body was weak and her eyes were very tired. He could feel her exhaustion and laid the both of them down together. He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her face over and over. He was lulling her into a deep sleep. Just as she was about to go under he told her that he needed to go and work out some details.

"Lover, I must go and work on some details. When I come back I will bring you to bed with me. I will not be very long, I should be back long before the dawn. Do not worry, I am not ready to make any hurried moves. I love you, rest." He inhaled her scent and kissed her softly.

"Please be careful, I love you." She touched his face and closed her eyes. He silently left, intent on getting more information than what Pam had provided. As soon as he got into his car he called Pam and found her whereabouts. He drove to her like a bat out of hell, he needed to end this before it could get further involved.

Her exposing her plan to take her life had made him realize just how important it was to put a stop to this. He could not be responsible for her losing her life, whether it be by her hand, or the hand of a hired killer. He could not and would not think of her death.

He was entirely certain that the words he spoke were true. He had never thought about taking his own life, ever. But, somehow the realization that she could be lost at any moment made him see the larger picture. He really would not be able to recover from such an enormous loss. He knew that if he were to lose her the pain and the emptiness would be incomprehensible. He knew that he would not be able to survive any length of time without her. He was almost angry at how dependent they had become to each other. They truly were half of one another. Their love was more intense than any love he had ever known, or ever heard of. He thought that it rivaled that of the deceased Queen and Andre, her child, her lover, her bonded. Their relationship was legendary, everyone knew that their love was infinite. He felt the same way towards Sookie, and he realized that in one way or another, she was going to be the death of him.

TBC…..

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**A/N- Thanks to everyone that is reviewing and enjoying this story so far! Just so you know, this story has taken on a life of its own. I originally planned this to be about 10 chapters of love, sex, fights, and a wedding. (not necessarily in that order). But, now that I have started this story line I can't seem to stop. I am kind of winging it and hope that by the time it concludes everyone will be satisfied with the end result.**

**Also, I think I may have heard a collective and almost irritated gasp out of everyone when Sookie revealed that she would take her own life rather than live without Eric. Just so you know, this was not in anyway set up to be a Shakespearian Tragedy or to be overly dramatic. This was simply her being her no nonsense, taking care of business self. She realizes that if Eric were to ever be killed, she would be as vulnerable as a baby to the vamp world that she has accepted. She knows that a high ranking, powerful vamp would most likely take her against her will and subject her to numerous abuses, all so they could get their hand on her gift. She was really just admitting the truth. She's not naïve, cute Sookie anymore. She's had to grow and her eyes have been opened to the life she is now living.**

**Now Eric on the other hand. He seems to have a flare for the dramatic. He knows that losing Sookie would be more painful than anything he has ever experienced. He truly loves her and wants nothing more than to be with her for all of eternity. But, when have we ever known a vamp as powerful and old as Eric ever just give up on their life. He Hasn't made it 1000 years for nothing.**

**Finally- I am sorry that chapters 3-5 are underlined. There was some type of error during the upload. I have tried to fix this, without success. For those of you that have been "distracted", I apologize.**


	16. Chapter 16

He met Pam at Fangtasia. She arrived first and unlocked the back door for him. There were no lights on anywhere, aside from the normal security light illuminating the parking lot. When he entered the bar he found her sitting on the couch in his office. She did not look to be herself, she looked deeply distraught.

"Eric…" Pam rose as he entered the office. "I have a little more information than I did earlier. It is all pointed towards Victor, he has an ironclad contract. He has covered everything in order to gain your territory." Pam paused slightly and let the rest out. "Eric, Sookie was right…Victor would rather eliminate her and deal with the aftermath, than kill you and risk a tribunal. He thinks that he can blame her death on another party, avoiding all responsibility." Pam waited for his reaction.

"Who provided this information? Where is the person that you were able to get this from?" He was not pleased with the reality that was being laid before him. "I want to question this person myself." He thought that perhaps he could get more than Pam had gotten.

"Eric, his name is Kyle. He is a young vampire that Victor recruited a few years ago. He is still too young to have any real ties and faithfulness. His maker was staked after the Revelation. He went off on his own after that, and that is how he came to meet Victor. He tells me that he was roaming around Vegas, hoping to find a nest of similar vamps. Once he met Victor he seemed quite comfortable to become his gopher." Pam was very quiet, almost whispering. "I captured him and managed to get as much information out of him as I could. When he stopped talking I wrapped him in silver chains and brought him here." Pam's eyes instructed Eric to follow her, they walked back out into the parking lot.

Pam used her remote to unlock her trunk and walked towards the car. The two vampires peered down into the trunk and saw the young vampire laying there. His face was contorted in pain as the silver bound him tightly. He looked to be no more than twenty years old. He was small, thin, innocent looking. His hair was light brown and perfectly cut, as though he had a trim right before he was made vampire.

His face didn't have a single whisker on it, no five o'clock shadow, no day old scruff. He was clean cut and his eyes were wide with fear and anger. The deep brown of his eyes darted between the two of them. He was unsure what fate awaited him.

Pam held out a pair of gloves to Eric, he quickly slipped them on his massive hands and removed the young vampire from the trunk. He was not so delicate in this task, making sure that he got bumped and shoved the entire time. He stood him up and braced him as the pain encompassing his body was so great. He looked around and inhaled the air around him. No one was around, he dragged the vampire into the building.

Into the office they went and Eric slammed him into a chair that Pam had waiting. He cast his very dangerous, very dark gaze at the vamp. He walked towards him and bent down, placing a hand on each arm of the chair. He was millimeters from the other vamps face.

"Do you know who I am?" He growled in the face of the vampire.

He got no response, Kyle seemed terrified to answer his question.

"I will ask you one more time, and I expect an answer. Do you know who I am?" His voice was so tense that the vampire flinched as the words came out.

"Yes…you are Eric Northman, Sheriff of Area 5." Kyle's voice tried to make the answer sound more like a statement, and less like a question.

"So tell me Kyle, do you know why you are now bound in silver and in my office against your will?" He never moved, he was still as close as could be.

"I have been kidnapped in order to provide you with information about my boss." At least he knew how to be practical.

"I'm glad that you have been paying attention. So, _Kyle_…who is your boss?" He said the name Kyle like it was a disease poisoning his body.

"Victor Madden, he is my boss." Kyle knew that there was no escape, better talk and save himself the pain of torture.

"Victor Madden…I know Victor, very well. We go back many years. Tell me, how is he to work for.?" He thought that small talk would better ease the young vampire into providing him with more information.

"He took me in after my maker was staked. He has been fair enough to offer me a place to stay and a job to work. He may not be easy, but he has offered me many things." Kyle had little emotion as he gave information on Victor.

"Kyle, you will tell me everything you know about Victor's plan to harm my bonded. You will not hide any details, and if you do, you will be punished in ways you can't even imagine." He took a step back in order to admire the look of fear on the vampires face.

"Victor wants the bitch dead. She is a human, what do you care if she is dead?" Before he could finish speaking Eric's hand was flying through the air and landing on the vampires jaw. The force caused the chair he was sitting into fall on its side.

"If you ever refer to her by that name again you will be very sorry. You will not disrespect my bonded, ever. Do you understand me?" He was leaning over him, watching the blood trickle from his mouth. Kyle nodded slowly as he and Pam sat him back up.

"He wants the telepath dead. He knows that if he removes her from your life, you will be unable to survive. He is planning on a takeover." Kyle averted his eyes, hoping to avoid another blow.

"Takeover? Kyle, I know you are young still, but there can be no such takeover unless the King orders it. Why should I believe you, you don't seem to know the political system quite yet." He hoped that reverse psychology would work on the youngster.

"Oh, I know all too well. Victor plans on waiting in the shadows. He wants to see you suffer and go mad at the loss of your human. Once you have proven him right, and unable to fulfill the duties of the Area, he plans on going to the King. He will show the King that you have failed in your ability to lead." Kyle had no idea he was being led right down the path that Eric was hoping for.

"And tell me, how does he plan on proving that he had no hand in the murder of my beloved?" Eric voice was almost hypnotic to the young one.

"He has taken care of that, the stupid human he hired only saw the payout on the contract. What the human failed to read was the small print. After he has completed his duties, he is to be killed. But not before he is Glamoured into writing a confession that points the finger at the FotS." Vampire contracts are always full of surprises.

"I see, he is a good executer. He has left no detail out, I am impressed by his plan. Who knew that Victor would have such high aspirations." He now thought flattery would help to get more information. "Kyle, you seem to be very lucky to find yourself in the graces of Madden. Did he trust you enough to help hire the human to execute the contract."

"No, that was handled by his second in command." And there was the missing piece. As soon as the words left his mouth he knew that he had given away too much information.

Pam and Eric's eyes glowed, they now knew who the next person on their list was. All they needed to do was capture Madden's second. Not an easy task, but not impossible either.

"Pam, I think that we have all of the information that we need. Now, if you will excuse us…I have something that I must take care of." He looked at her and they had a silent exchange. Pam knew that his plans involved something very unpleasant for Kyle.

Kyle's face went an even pallor shade of white. He was hoping this entire time that if he was cooperative, he would be spared. He knew now that this was not he case.

Eric jerked him up out of his chair and dragged him towards the exit. He was scared, he was going to be sacrificed for his part in Victor's life.

Eric threw him up against the outside brick wall and watched him as his bones broke with the force. He felt nothing, no remorse, no sympathy, nothing. This vampire was just unfortunate, an unfortunate complication in his plan.

Kyle new better than to fight back, he was far too young and far too inexperienced. Eric glared at him, he decided it was better to just take care of it than to prolong the pain. The young vampire was begging him with his eyes to spare him, but he could not. He could not risk him running back to Victor and telling him what had happened and what he had told them.

Kyle also knew that there was no escape, he could not go back to Victor, he would be killed instantly as soon as it was learned that he had provided Eric information. Kyle would not be able to show Victor that he had talked out of fear, duress. Pam walked out of the bar and handed Eric a long stake. They always had one on hand just in case some of the vampire patrons got out of control.

Eric took it from her hand and turned his eyes towards Kyle. He had the look of power, evil, bloodlust.

"Kyle, I am sorry. You have provided me enough information and I am through with you. It was a pleasure speaking with you." He drew his arm back and drove the stake through the young vampires chest. His body became limp and started its rapid disintegration. Eric stepped back and watched as pieces of the vampire blew away into the air.

"Pam, have this messed cleaned up. I want nothing left behind, bleach the pavement to mask any scent and see that his things are burned." He dropped the stake and walked towards his car. He drove off leaving Pam and the corpse alone in the night.


	17. Chapter 17

He drove home, eager to get back to his lover. He needed a shower to rinse away any part of the vampire that had found its way on to his body. He was excited, anxious. He drove quickly, faster than the allowed speed limit. He could tell that she was asleep, all he felt was her. She was asleep and she was not dreaming the awful dreams that had taken control of her nights. He pulled into home and quietly walked into the house.

He walked into the bedroom and watched her sleep, she was so silently beautiful. He bent down and kissed her forehead, gently enough to not wake her. He entered the bathroom and turned the shower on. He let the steam fill the bathroom and undressed, making sure to set the clothes to the side. He planned on destroying them later. He stepped into the shower and thought about her and her plan if anything should happen to him. His body ached as he thought about her words.

She rolled over, and thought that she heard the water running. Just as he had promised, he was back long before the dawn. She saw the light from the bathroom and got the sudden urge to surprise him. Even though she had showered before she went to sleep, she wouldn't mind another.

She stripped the nightgown from her body and tossed it on the bed. She tiptoed into the bathroom and snuck into the shower. She knew that there was no sneaking up on a vampire, but she gave it her best effort. She snaked her arms around his waist and laid her head on his bare back.

"I missed you." She kissed his back and licked the water as it cascaded down his bare skin. She instantly felt the bond fill with desire.

"Really, how much did you miss me?" He closed his eyes and basked in the feel of her tongue dragging across his body. He turned to her and wrapped his arms around her. He bent and kissed her, pulling her face closer to his and deepening the kiss. Her body responded and she let her hands explore his naked body.

She pressed her body against his and felt his arousal grow. He felt like silk, she couldn't help but touch him. He let his mouth slide down to her neck and her shoulders. He licked her skin and watched as the flesh turned to goose bumps. He kissed her breasts and kneaded them in his hands. She moaned as he let his fingers drag across her nipples. She pressed her hips into his body and let him know that she was desperate to have him.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off the floor of the shower. She locked her legs behind his back and felt him slide her directly on to his very ready length. She let out a noise of pure pleasure as she felt him fill her. He turned them around and allowed her body to rest against the cool, tiled shower wall.

He plunged deeply into her, thrusting with all of his body. His gripped her hair with his hands and watched as she met his eyes.

"Sookie, I feel the need to fuck you unconscious." He whispered in her ear as she whimpered at his words.

"Please, I need you to…" She was already breathless. She felt him sliding in and out of her at a frenzied pace. She gripped his shoulders to brace herself against his thrusts. He was growling her name every time he hit her sensitive spot.

He could feel that he was losing his footing in the wet shower, so he took the opportunity to slide her down the wall. The shower was huge, big enough that he could lay her down right on the tiled floor. They laid on the floor, the water falling over their bodies. He continued the pace and kissed her, making her moan into his mouth. Her body rubbed against his and she could feel his desire and lust for her. She looked up at him and bit his lip. She watched a little pool of blood gather on his perfect lip. She flicked her tongue out and licked the life sustaining fluid from his lip.

He groaned and buried himself deeper inside of her, making sure he hit the spot that brought her so much pleasure. She could feel herself start to shoot towards her climax, but he was not quite ready. He stopped thrusting into her and gazed down at her with his intense, blue eyes.

"Come with me lover." He took her hand and guided her back to standing. Her knees were barely able to support her weight as she was aching from the release that was not allowed to come through. He quickly noticed that she was in need of his help. He lifted her up and cradled her naked, wet body in his arms. He didn't bother to dry them off, he was more focused on getting back inside of her.

He walked them to the bed and he laid down, keeping her body perfectly balanced in his arms. She moved herself on to him, straddling his wet body. She let her tongue find the droplets of water that shimmered on his chest and licked them away. He growled for her to take him inside of her.

She noticed his need and gave into his desire. She slid down onto him and watched as his eyes widen as he felt himself gliding into her. She took his hands and placed them over her breasts, coaxing his hands to rub and massage her in the only way that he could. She moaned is name and rocked her hips against his pelvis, causing him to arch his back off of the bed. He went to move his hands from her breasts to her hips and she quickly grabbed them. He looked at her as she gave him a devilish wink.

She was no where near as strong as a vampire, but she took his arms and used all of her strength to pin them above his head, just as he had done to her in the past. He gave her a very satisfying look, letting her know that he was thoroughly enjoying her attempt to control the situation.

"Eric, look at me." Her voice was dry and raspy as she took in the pleasure. He of course listened to her command and focused his deep blue eyes on hers. "Eric, I think maybe I should be the one to fuck you unconscious tonight." She always felt a little self conscious when she spoke to him in such an erotic manner, but tonight she was truly feeling brazen.

He let out a guttural noise and begged her to continue her plan. His body responded to her and he pushed his hips further into her. She never moved her hands, keeping his arms forcefully kept above his head. She sat back, allowing him to somehow find an even deeper path inside of her.

"Oh God, Sookie…please, do what you must." He was trembling under her body, basking in the feeling of her dominating him. He tried to make a move with his hands, to bring them down over her body, but she held firm.

"No…no touching." She ran her tongue over his lips and sped up the rocking of her hips. She was very turned on at seeing him in such a vulnerable position.

"Lover, lover…Oh, oh, I need to feel you come." He was tossing his head from side to side, eyes fixed on hers.

"I'll come when I'm ready. Oh, Eric…" It would not be that long until she was ready to give him what he was asking for. "Oh…God I love you. I love this." She took a deep breath and felt herself reaching the end. She pressed against his hips harder and rocked herself on him. She could feel him getting ready to release. She let his arms go and immediately grabbed her body, running his hands over her thighs, her breasts, her hips. He clutched her head and pulled it down to his mouth, holding her tightly and forcefully.

"Don't stop fucking me." he moaned into her mouth and then pressed his tongue deep into her throat. She could feel herself ready to explode, he was with her, ready to join her in the satisfaction.

She pulled herself from his mouth and gazed down at her beautiful Viking. She was cresting over the edge as he brushed the hair from her face and returned her look. Their eyes were only on each other, completely and utterly fixed on one another. They reached the end together, moaning the other's name, and her collapsing on top of him.

She was exhausted and completely satisfied. As promised, he gathered her up in his arms and brought them into the safe room where he spent his days. They snuggled into the bed and clung to each other, not willing to be apart, not willing to feel the absence of the other. Not willing to experience the night without their love.


	18. Chapter 18

_She awoke still wrapped in his arms. They had slept so peacefully, so comfortably. She looked around her and realized that it was in fact morning, and not mid-afternoon. She had a plan and she was going to stick to it. She crawled out of bed and recovered him with the afghan, kissing him softly on the cheek._

_After she finished up in the bathroom she went for a cup of coffee and a phone call to Amelia. Amelia wasn't working, so she knew that if she wasn't home she was most likely with Tray. She was excited to move forward, completely accepting the fact that she needed to sit back on her heels in order for Eric's plan to work._

"_Hi Amelia, I didn't wake you did I." Amelia sounded kind of sleepy._

"_Nope not at all, I've been up for more than an hour. What's up, what's going on." Amelia was excited to hear from her friend._

"_Well, I'm hoping that you wouldn't mind hanging out with me for the day. I have some wedding stuff to take care of and really wanted you to come along." She was happy to be distracted, but couldn't let on to Amelia._

"_Sure, I have nothing planned for the day. What did you have in mind?" Amelia was happy to take part in the planning._

"_There's a bakery here in Shreveport that comes highly recommended, I want to stop by there and look at cakes. And, Pam gave me the name of that florist where Eric always buys me flowers. She told them that I would be stopping by to talk weddings." She thought that she might be boring her friend to death._

"_Oh Sookie, that sounds like so much fun. What time do you want to go?" Amelia knew that it would involve her driving out to meet her in Shreveport._

"_How about we meet in the Fangtasia parking lot in two hours?" She still never invited anyone to the house, this was Eric's safe haven. _

"_Work's for me, I'll see you then." Amelia genuinely sounded happy to be going._

"_Great, I'll see you soon." She hung up the phone and relaxed a little. She wanted to ask Amelia personally to be in the wedding. She felt like asking someone for such a major event over the phone was a little tacky._

_She went up to the bathroom and started the shower. As she stepped in she remembered how her and Eric had just made love there. Her face blushed at he memory and it ignited her body to feel the desire again. She wondered if her body was ever going to give up the lust for him._

_She dried off and dressed quickly, she was anxious to get the day rolling. Instead of dying her hair, she pulled it up in the oh so familiar ponytail. She didn't want to look like a pauper browsing through some of Shreveport's finer stores, so she decided to wear some of the things that Eric had bought her._

_She decided on a silk blend t-shirt that he bought for her just last month. He told her it reminded him of her eyes, it was a beautiful pale blue color. She pulled out a pair of nice black pants and decided that it was warm enough to wear some open toed sandals. They weren't high heeled shoes, but they weren't flat and motherly. She threw on just a little makeup and was ready to head back downstairs._

_She drank another cup of coffee and read the paper. She enjoyed this time of the day, when she was awake at least. She fixed herself some eggs and toast and just sat in the quiet of the house. She realized that she should probably write him a quick note in case she wasn't back before dark. She hoped she would be back, she was going to the bar with him tonight. Better safe than sorry. _

_Eric,_

_Gone off to do some wedding shopping with Amelia. Don't worry, everything will be fine. I hope to be back before dark, but if you're reading this than I am running a little behind. See you a little later, I love you._

_Sookie_

She ran up the stairs and went into the room where he was sleeping. She put the note on the nightstand and kissed him goodbye. He didn't even flinch when she kissed him, he was completely out. She watched him sleep for a couple of minutes and shut the door behind her. 

She got into her car and turned the radio up as loud as it could go. She wanted to drown out her own thoughts. She drove towards Fangatasia and was very happy to see Amelia already there. She parked the car and got out, running to meet her friend.

"Hi, you look so good. I'm so happy that you were around today." She hugged her friend and was overcome with the joy of seeing her. She missed not seeing her everyday.

"You look great too, I stopped and picked you up a coffee. I'm happy I didn't have plans today too, but I would have cancelled to go with you anyway." Amelia gave her a smile and she handed the coffee to her friend.

"Thanks, I appreciate that. Let's go, lots to do!" She was getting into the spirit of the planning.

As they drove away she felt completely relaxed and safe. She had no sudden urge to spill into tears and blow Amelia away with the latest attempt to destroy her life. She sighed as she realized that she had way too many of those depressing, let's kill Sookie tales.

"Hey, I was just wondering…if you would like to be in the wedding." She looked at Amelia and gave her a very endearing and sentimental look. "You're like my sister, I want you there with me. It would mean a real lot if you said yes." She waited for her response.

"Oh my God Sookie, I thought you'd never ask. Of course I'll stand up for you. I would love to be a part of the wedding. You didn't even have to ask, I would have shown up and walked myself down the isle even if you didn't want me to." She smirked at her friend and felt how happy she was.

"Thanks Amelia. I asked Pam to be in the wedding too. She is so important to Eric, and she's really become a good friend, even though she pretends to not care." She looked directly ahead and watched the road.

"Oh, I know Pam cares. She just has a different way of showing it, you know…proud vampire and all. I'm sure she is just as tickled as can be to be in a wedding. She loves that kind of stuff. You should see her pour over those advice columns. Her favorites are always the brides with the crazy families and the jealous friends. She really must be excited." Amelia knew Pam very well. Sookie was a little sad that their affair was so short lived.

"She was at the house last night helping with the plans, she did seem to have a knack for this type of stuff. I think our first stop should be at the florist. What do you think?" She bopped her head to the music that was on the radio.

"Sounds good…do you know what you want?" Amelia wanted to hear about any details that her and Pam had discussed.

"I'm thinking that I want calla lilies, just like the ones Eric sent me last winter. Only instead of red I want white. Maybe a little bit of color mixed in, but something pretty and not so bold." She thought about a second color. "Maybe purple, or light pink."

"I think that would be beautiful." Amelia smiled as she pictured the blooms in her head.

"Pam gave me the address, it should be right up here." They drove around the corner and the shop was right in front of them. She found a spot to park right in front and took a deep breath as she got ready to plan this part of her wedding. The two friends walked into the shop and the door gave a very friendly, welcoming ring from the bells attached to the frame. A very tall brunette walked out from the back of the shop and greeted them. She was slender and out together perfectly. She smiled at the friends and offered her assistance.

"Hi, I'm Sookie Stackhouse. I'm here to look at some flowers for my wedding." She sounded nervous, but the woman smiled gently at her. She had thrown up her shields because she was used to doing that every time Amelia was around. She decided to keep them up, she didn't want to ruin the experience by hearing what this woman may possibly have to say about her upcoming nuptials.

The woman seemed to recognize her name and showed them into the back area where there were arrangements and photo books everywhere.

"This is my friend Amelia. She and my other friend Pam will be in the wedding." She felt bad about not introducing her friend right off the bat.

"It is a pleasure to meet you both. Pam mentioned that you would be visiting the store. My name is Avery and I own this shop, I am happy to assist you with whatever it is you need." She spoke in a very eloquent and graceful manner.

"How do you know Pam?" The question begged to be asked as she clearly was not a vampire, and Pam was not known to be a social butterfly.

The woman flushed slightly and her mouth smiled, "Pam and I were…_friends. _She was a very good _friend._" No one needed her to clarify the meaning of the word friend. Amelia chuckled slightly and took another look at he woman. She definitely did look to be Pam's type. Elegant, sophisticated, run of the mill homemaker look. She gave Avery a nod of her head letting her know that she understood the meaning of the word, _friend_.

"Ms. Stackhouse, what is it you are looking for? Traditional roses, understated daisies, perhaps a bouquet of color?" Avery questioned her like a doctor asking his patient their symptoms.

"Actually, I would like calla lilies. Eric sent me calla lilies about 6 months ago and they were the most beautiful flowers I'd ever seen. Do they come in lots of colors?"

"Perfect, just perfect. Calla's come in any color you could imagine, from the purest white, to black. They are so elegant, so timeless." Avery reflected on her choice of calla lilies and simply smiled.

"Wow, I was thinking red, white, pink…you know. I never thought about all the different colors."

"Well, lets make this easy. What color will Pam and Amelia be wearing?" Avery tilted her towards Amelia and gave her a very understated grin.

"I decided that I wanted them to wear white, well a little off white. The same color dress that I'm wearing. I wanted to avoid the whole red thing. The only red I want on display is my ring, and Eric's ring." She held out her hand for the florist to admire her engagement ring. "The rubies are a symbol of my blood and his blood…we're bonded." She beamed as she told the importance of the ring.

"It is truly stunning, you are a lucky woman. Mr. Northman is quite a catch. There have been women after him for years." Avery winked and made he feel very comfortable. Avery was certainly comfortable talking about a human/vampire relationship.

"Thank you. Anyway, I wanted the flowers to be soft and innocent looking. Everyone is going to expect blood red flowers and dark decorations everywhere. But, I don't feel dark and dramatic. I want innocent and pure. Am I making sense to you?" She was beginning to feel a little self conscious about her rambling.

"Absolutely sweety. I know exactly how you feel. May I suggest ivory calla's? Do you want all white, or do you want to add a hint of color?" Avery started to flip through the pages of a book that was on the table showing all sorts of floral bouquets.

"I guess a little color wouldn't hurt, but nothing crazy." She shook her head and waved her hands in front of her.

"How about…well, baby pink?" She stared at a page that had a similar bouquet on it. Baby pink, the description of the color caused a pain inside of her. Baby pink, the color she would never decorate a nursery with. Never wear over her growing belly to show everyone that she was expecting a girl. The color that would never grace the walls of a babies nursery.

"I think baby pink would be fine." She grinned the crazy Sookie grin and diverted her eyes to the page that Avery was admiring. Amelia saw her face tense, and the immediate grin that followed. She made a mental note to ask her about that as soon as they got into the car.

"How about a tight bouquet of blossoms. Very little greens, all blooms. I will wrap the stems in a color ribbon that matches your gown. Do you think that you can get me a swatch of the material so I can match it?" Avery ran her finger over the glossy page in the book.

"Swatch?" She looked at her a little puzzled.

"Yes…I'm sorry. A swatch would be a small piece of material from the dress. It allows me to see and feel the fabric, and lets me know the exact color. Unfortunately there are about one hundred different shades of _white._" Avery returned her look to her and waited for her response to her request.

"Oh, sure. I can get you that. Not a problem…can I drop it by tomorrow?" She was ready to agree to anything. At this point she really wanted to go to her car and sift through the emotions that were now sitting in her gut.

"That would be fine. So…ivory calla's with some baby pink thrown in for color. Do you want the ceremony flowers to match, or would you like to go in a different direction." Avery began to flip through the book again.

"You know, I trust you. I think that as long as you know what I'm looking for and know what my flowers are going to look like, you'll be fine. I'll leave the rest up to you. Do you need anything else, or are we all set to be on our way?" She turned her gaze towards Amelia and gave her a look, asking her to back up her idea of getting out of there.

Amelia looked down at her watch and made a shocked noise. "Oh my, Sookie you're right. We're going to be late for our next appointment. I think you picked out beautiful flowers, don't you agree." Amelia asked the question to Avery and began walking towards the door, ushering Sookie out.

"Yes, it will be gorgeous. Nothing but the best, I can assure you. Pam mentioned that this is for Saturday. I will have everything ready and waiting. I will have the flowers delivered to the house that the ceremony is being held at." Avery shook their hands and bid them goodbye. Sookie smiled and thanked her for her kindness. 

She and Amelia felt like they were speed walking towards her car. Amelia was trying he best to keep up her pace. When they finally got to her car they got in and sat in silence for a couple of minutes. Amelia knew that there was something bothering her. It was far to easy to read her face and her body language. She decided that if she didn't ask, Sookie was bound to not say a word. 


	19. Chapter 19

"_Ok, tell me what happened. One minute you were flashing the ring, talking flowers and wanting to look innocent. Next thing you were giving her that crazy smile that makes you look like a mental case. What went on?" Amelia's concern was apparent through her voice._

"_It's really silly. I knew all of this before I decided that I wanted to be with Eric. I knew what my life was going to be like. I knew the things that I would have to sacrifice." She looked out her car window at the passing cars. She smiled when a car drove by with a collie hanging it head out the back window, tongue flapping behind its head._

"_Sacrifice. You mean like friends, your job?" Amelia touched her hand hoping it would coax her into being more specific._

"_No, more like Sunday brunch on the patio of a nice restaurant. Swimming in a pool during the day and having him wrap a towel around me when I got out of the water. Going to the beach and just laying in the sand with the sun heating both of us up…having a baby, actually physically having kids." She still looked out the window. She didn't want to see her friend look at her with a confused gawk._

"_Oh honey. She made you think of babies. I don't blame you for feeling a little sad. But Sook, think of the things that you do have. You have someone that love's you like nothing else. He would throw his life down for you. Just cause you can't go to the beach in the sun doesn't mean you can't go in the moonlight. That's way better, no big, fat people in bathing suits that they outgrew fifteen years ago. And Sunday brunch. Who goes to brunch anymore? I haven't been to brunch in years, overrated. He can wrap a towel around you when you get out of a pool. Better yet, he'd probably wrap himself around you and help you take of your wet bathing suit." Amelia gave her friend a nudge in the shoulder, hoping she was taking in all of her words. "And babies…sure you can't have Eric's baby, but that doesn't mean you'll never have kids. Maybe you can do that IVF thing and use someone else's…__stuff._" Amelia stumbled on what word to use.

"Oh yeah, can you imagine that conversation….Hey Eric, since you can't make babies how about we go to one of those clinics and pick out some other guy's _stuff. _I could have his baby and we could be one, big, happy family. You don't think that _Eric _of all people would have a problem with another man's _stuff _being injected into my body? I think that would be the most hurtful thing I could ever mention to him. I couldn't even think of doing that." She fought the urge to cry her eyes out.

"Sookie, maybe he wouldn't think of it that way. Give him the benefit of the doubt. That's not the only option, you could adopt if that is what you really wanted." Amelia was determined to lift her friends spirits

"Funny, that's what Eric said." She let her face smile and appreciate what her friend was trying to do. "Ok, feel bad for Sookie time is over. I'm a lucky, lucky girl. I'm marrying someone that loves me more than I could have ever imagined. I love him just as much. Not many people can be that lucky. I'm fine, I'm great…let's get going. Too much to do in so little time." She started the car and drove to the next stop.

They were in and out of the bakery. She knew that she was getting what she wanted, chocolate cake and sweet, sticky butter cream frosting. Only a few people to feed cake to, why not get what she really wanted? She was please with her decision, she was also please with the fact that they got to sample about five different kinds of cake. 

The rest of the day was just as uneventful. She hired a photographer, but only for the ceremony. She didn't want some stranger with a camera in her face all night long. She hated the idea of posing for someone just so they could get the perfect shot.

They made a quick stop for lunch, drive thru style. Then she decided that she wanted to go and look for a ring for Eric. She had given a lot of thought to what she wanted his ring to be. Of course, it would be platinum. No chance on a less pure metal. That would really be a bad omen if his wedding ring burned right through his flesh. What she wasn't sure of was the style. Did she think Eric would appreciate a traditional plain band, or would he like something more expensive looking? As they walked into the jewelry store she was greeted with glances from the salespeople. Most of them looked like they were doing her a favor by even looking twice at her.

She decided that she was a little too tired to completely shield all of the bouncing thoughts. _Going to want to see everything looks like she can't even afford the gift bag perhaps I can convince her to go to the gypsy down the road and won't have to waste my time on her A real customer could come in and I might miss an actual sale._

She shook her head and just looked at Amelia. Obviously these people were completely unaware that her engagement ring was purchased here and that her beloved would be none to pleased with their treatment of her. She thought it best to act nonchalant and place her bag on the counter, using her left hand. She slowly acted this out, and made sure that the snooty salesman got a very good look at her ring.

The minute he saw the familiar, one of a kind creation he was mentally back peddling. _Oh Christ, Oh Christ. That vampire will kill me if he knew what I just thought about her Jesus relax treat her like any other person don't let her know that you thought she was trailer trash She'll spend some big time cash in here. _

She let the tension ease out of her face and decided that she needed to shield the rest of her time in the store. She looked from case to case and took in all of the spectacular baubles. She was never a big wearer of jewelry, but this was making her think twice. Diamonds everywhere, they gleamed from the cases as the light caught their spectacular cuts and reflected like prisms. 

She finally made her way over to the area that they referred to as "Estate Jewelry". It was a case of antique creations that were purchased at auctions, estate sales, and other jewelers that bartered the pieces. She looked at the pieces, all of them told a story. She thought about the antique engagement and wedding rings and tried to picture that person that once wore the sacred symbol of love and marriage. She dragged her fingers across the glass of the case and saw something that caught her eye.

"Amelia, take a look at that." She pointed her friend to a platform in the back of the case. On that platform sat a simple, carved platinum band. It had the look of something that was centuries old, only cleaned and polished to shine and catch your eye. The carving in the band looked something like a vine, or branches. The salesman saw her look of curiosity and took a deep breath and offered to show her the ring.

"Madame, would you care to see that particular piece." _Act normal act respectful act normal._

"Please, if you don't mind." She smiled at him to let him know that he could relax. He unlocked the case and carefully handed her the band.

"Amelia, look at this. It is beautiful, it's nothing like anything I've ever seen." She held the ring in front of her face, carefully eyeing the design.

"Do you know the story behind this ring." Amelia questioned him without even taking her eye from the ring.

"We have some paperwork on this piece, pardon me while I retrieve it from the back safe." The salesman disappeared and almost ran to the back. When he returned he was carrying documents that were in an envelope, and the envelope inside of a clear, plastic folder. He scanned the papers and quickly repeated what he just read.

"This ring is about 150 years old. Platinum was very, very rare in those days. I'm surprised to read that this metal is in fact platinum. It is very hard, making the carving in the metal that much more difficult. The craftsman that made this ring must have spent months, possibly years creating this design. It has been authenticated by the curator of the art museum in New Orleans. This is a very rare piece of jewelry." The salesman spoke softly and slowly, almost not believing the description that he was voicing.

"And do you know what the carving is? Is it branches?" She ran her finger over the ridges of the metal.

"It says that the design is that of a Hlaut-Teinn." He sounded out the word as it clearly was not English. "The description read that the hlaut-tienn is a gathering of fir branches used in the wedding ceremony of the old Norse. It is used to sprinkle wedding guests with the Mead used during the ceremony. It is said to be a form of blessings for the bride and groom. I assume that this would be similar to going to a church and having the priest of pastor sprinkle holy water from his septor." The salesman looked at the papers intently, not really understanding what he was explaining. "Mead, mead…I'm not sure I know what that is?" He looked at her in a puzzled way.

"Eric has talked about mead. If I remember correctly, mead is honeyed beer…well ale. He says that he can remember the taste and that it is very sweet." She was still staring at the ring. "Amelia, this is a sign. This is it, the ring…this is the ring that he needs to wear." She looked at the salesman and nodded her head in approval.

"Excellent Madame, would you like this wrapped?" The salesman let out a sigh of relief, maybe she didn't pick up on his disapproval when she first walked in. He took the ring from her and walked towards the check out area.

"Amelia, can you believe it. He is going to be so shocked when he see's this. It's like it was meant for him. Do you like it?" She was glowing with the knowledge that she had found this treasure.

"Oh Sook, it's perfect. He is going to fall over when he see's it. I absolutely love it. I hope it fits him…if not, I'll use a little magic." Amelia laughed and quickly quieted down when the salesman approached them carrying a royal blue gift bag. He handed her the bag and gave her a very fatherly look. He was proud of her choice, not only because he knew who the recipient was, but because she had looked so pleased with the discovery.

"Um, how much do I owe you?" She began to search for her wallet. She had saved money for a few months, wanting to surprise him one day with spectacular gift, only she hadn't decided what that gift would be. Today she found it.

"Nonsense…Mr. Northman gave very specific instructions to us regarding any purchases you ever made here. He advised us to make sure that anything you desired was placed on his personal account." He placed the bag on the counter in front of her.

"Well, that's just fine and dandy…but, this is my future husband's wedding ring. I will not have his ring placed on his account. It is not right and I won't have it. Now please, tell me how much I owe for the ring." She stood firm. She wanted this to be her gift to him.

"But Madame…" He was cut off by a shake of her head. "…very well, the ring is $3000.00, but I am willing to let it go for $2500.00." He felt awkward by discussing price, but he didn't want her to be more upset about not making the purchase herself.

Her face tensed when she heard the steep price, but out came her checkbook and her hand was writing out the check. He accepted the payment and thanked her for her business. 

She glanced at her watch and saw that she needed to get a move on. She wanted to be there when he rose for the night, but she was cutting it close. Her and Amelia laughed and talked the entire ride home. They sang to the radio and talked about the wedding. Never once did she mention the fact that she was being ultra careful, watching her step. She never mentioned that her life was in danger, and she certainly didn't mention that she and Eric were hatching a plan of attack. One that could alter their lives, permanently.


	20. Chapter 20

She drove like a mad woman to get home. She dropped Amelia off at Fangtasia and hugged her and gave her a heart felt thank you for spending the day with her. She assured her that she would call her tomorrow to talk more about the wedding. The sun was about to dip into the horizon for the night and she could feel him stirring.

The first emotion felt through the bond was desire. He must have woken and went to find her, only she wasn't there. Next she could feel the anxiety and fear that spread through his body as he realized that she wasn't in the house. She could feel him and it made her drive faster. But, just as the wave of fear enraptured her she suddenly felt the distinct feeling of relief. She thought that he must have found the note and realized that she was fine. Desire and want filled her, he was missing her.

When he realized that she was well and just out for a bit he decided that it was the perfect time to call Pam and make sure the rest of the last night was taken care of.

"Pam, am I to understand that out guest from last evening was taken care of?" He was purposefully being vague.

"Yes Eric, he was properly sent off and I saw to it that all of the details were tended to." Pam spoke in her usual unaffected voice. If anyone was eavesdropping it would sound as though they were discussing dropping a relative off at he airport, and not the clean up of a vampire corpse.

"Very good, I am pleased to hear that the evening went well. Pam, will you be going out this evening? I remember that you had requested the night off from the bar. Are your plans all set?" Again, vague and almost in code was better. He wanted to be sure that she was investigating Victor again this evening.

"Yes, I am still in need of the night off. I will be seeing you tomorrow, or sooner if my date for the evening doesn't work out." Pam hated being cryptic, but knew that anything was possible. Any fool these days could intercept phone frequencies and listen in to a conversation.

"Perfect, I wish you well. Pam, did you remember to mention to Abraham that I was in need of his service both Friday and Saturday." It was very important to him that the holy man that was going to lead their ceremony was also at his service on Friday evening.

"Of course, he will be at your house around eight o'clock. He is well aware of what needs to be done. He is looking forward to it." Pam knew the reason why Eric was in need of his services two nights in a row.

He had agreed to be married on Saturday, that is what she had desired. The entire traditional human wedding was not really important to him. He was planning on reciting his vows and pledging himself to her on Friday night. Traditional Viking weddings were always held on a Friday, it was to honor Frigg, the goddess of marriage. He was planning on holding their own private ceremony so he could vow himself to her in the tradition he had always known.

"Thank you Pam. Please, have a successful evening." He hung up the phone and waited for his beloved. He remembered the bridal crown that he had removed from his safe. He pictured her wearing the sacred, ancient symbol of Viking marriage. He had taken this from his home 1000 years ago. It belonged to his mother, in all truth it should have been passed to a sister. But, when he was turned he felt the sudden need to keep things with him that held a place in his culture. He had no idea that he would survive as long as he had. This piece of his history was sacred to him. The heirloom was to be worn by his love, on the night of his wedding. His mother would be proud.

She felt a sudden wave of love and warmth flood the bond. She couldn't wait to get to him. She pulled into home and all but ran to the door. He knew she was home, he felt her longing and her love. She ran to meet him upstairs and as she burst through the bedroom door he grabbed her and kissed her. It was a scorching, deep kiss. Like he had been without her for years. She melted into his arms and let the emotion spill over the both of them.

"Lover, I hate waking without you. I have been waiting patiently for you to get back. I think I should be rewarded for my patience." His voice was full of lust and sex.

"Oh, patient…funny how I felt you running around looking for me. I don't quite call that patience sweety." She kissed his neck and behind his ear as he rubbed her back and shoulders.

"So am I to be punished for worrying?" He nuzzled his head against her mouth as she dragged her tongue across his skin. He growled at he desire she was passing to him.

"Maybe…yes. I think that would be fitting." She stopped her mouth immediately and pulled out of his arms. She looked at him, lust bouncing off of her in a way that made her knees weak. "I think you need a shower. We have to go to the bar tonight, go…get ready." She walked out of the room leaving him with his mouth hanging open and his pants filled with an evil pressure. He shook his head to realize that she had in fact left him there, alone. He was very, unsatisfied.

He walked into the bathroom and started the shower, not pleased at all by his solitude. He hastily ripped off his clothes and mumbled something in another language. He was cursing her cruelty under his breath. She sat downstairs and laughed as she felt his, want, his need, his sadness. She held out for about five minutes.

She walked quietly into the bathroom and stripped her clothes off. He felt her presence and smelled her arousal. The only thing she saw was his hand reach out from the shower and grip her arm, pulling her in with him. He couldn't have cared if she was still fully clothed or not.

"I decided that punishing you was really just punishing me. Why would I want to punish myself?" She grabbed his face and pulled him to her lips, causing him to shudder under her body. She slipped her tongue into his mouth and felt his push back. She moaned and rubbed her body against his pelvis, slowing only when she felt his erection press against her.

Without warning he spun her around, causing her to almost lose her balance. He took both of her hands and slapped them against the tiled wall. He pressed his hands against hers, making it impossible for her move them. He stood behind her and slid himself directly into her, reeling in her pleasure and the feeling of her screaming his name. He thrust up into her as she bent her waist forward, trying to allow him a deeper angle. She took her hungrily, heated, he was claming her body as his. He let his fangs drag across her neck, her shoulder. She whimpered for him every time she felt the sharp points almost pierce her skin.

She could feel herself start to tremble with every thrust he made. Her hips were trying to keep pace, but it was no use. He needed to release one of her hands in order to support her and make sure she didn't slip away. She didn't move the hand that had been released, she kept it firmly planted on the shower wall. She needed all the support she could get.

He plunged into her, trying to go deeper and deeper with every move of his hips. She screamed his name just as he moaned hers. He was relentless and she couldn't get enough of him. She threw her head forward and turned her face to look over her shoulder. The minute she met his gaze she could feel his release start to build. She watched as he lowered his mouth to her shoulder and bit down.

"Oh God, Eric….Oh…Oh, please…I…love…you." She could no longer make words, it just began to come out like animal sounds. She felt her blood flow into his body, she felt his climax and heard her name being shouted. It was utter bliss, she shook with the aftershocks of her orgasm. He bent his head down and rested it on her shoulder as he softly licked the wound. She felt his lips brush against her skin and kiss the spot that he had just fed from. She felt him quiver against her body.

Slowly she let her hands slide down the slick wall and turned herself to face him. He looked into her eyes and brushed the wet hair off of her face. Strands of her blonde mane stuck to her skin from the water. He smoothed her hair and took her head in between his hands.

"Lover, never have I been this satisfied, this happy, this whole. I love you, Sookie." He lowered his face to hers and kissed her, gently. They stepped out of the shower and dried off. They had spent quite a long time with each other in that shower and now it was time to get a move on.

She needed to be ready to listen to the minds of the people at the bar in the hopes that she would get another shot at the monster that wanted her dead. She was now relaxed enough to do just that. She felt like she was ready to take on the world.


	21. Chapter 21

The evening at Fangtasia was completely uneventful. There was nothing out of the ordinary, no out of hand tourists, no fang bangers throw themselves in front of him, no mindless chatter about someone trying to kill her. She sat beside him all night, resting her hand unconsciously on his thigh.

They were so comfortable with one another, they didn't even need to speak to fill the silence. She scanned the room and threw her mental net out at a few people that looked a little out of place. She quickly learned that they were just board, middle aged married men looking for a quick fling. Unhappy with their current lives, they were looking to take a walk on the wild side. She pulled her net back not wanting to get any further involved in their depressing states.

"Eric, where is Pam?" She rubbed her hand through his hair and twisted the blond locks in her fingers.

"She has the night off. She is working, just not here. She is working on our current situation." He did not need to elaborate on what the situation was. She tensed when she thought of Pam stalking her prey.

"Will she be alright?" She hated the idea of Pam out there alone, but she also knew that Pam was the best girl…vamp, for the job.

"I am sure. Pam is quite capable of taking care of herself." He looked at her and smiled at her concern for his child.

"Alright, I won't think about it anymore." She went back to scanning the room and watching the patrons. She placed her hand back on his thigh and felt the familiar buzzing vibration of his cell phone. She jumped a little when she felt it. Eric pulled it out of his pocket and didn't recognize the number.

"Private. Let's have a look" He answered the phone and gave her a very Eric wink. "Yes? I'm sorry, what did you just say? Pam, why are you calling from a private number. What is going on?" He paused and his face was unreadable. He nodded his head when it seemed appropriate, even though she couldn't see him. "I understand, that is quite a plan. I will agree, but if this gets out of hand I will not be happy Pam." He replaced the phone in his pocket and took her hand.

"Come, we need to go over this new detail." He led her towards his office and the crowd parted as he stalked his way through. They got to his office and he quickly shut the door behind him. Even though his mood was considerably down, he managed to grab her and kiss her, causing her to go weak in the knees. When he finally released her lips he smiled at her and hugged her to his body.

"Pam…she has a plan. I'm not pleased with it, but it does sound to be very convincing." He rubbed her shoulders and seemed to concentrate on the wall.

"What's this plan?" She could tell by the mood engulfing the bond that it was dangerous.

"Pam is going to try and capture William, that is Victor's second in command. She is going to weave a tale of betrayal and jealousy." He stiffened as he thought about the words that she spoke. "She is going to William and she is going to claim that she has decided to leave me in Shreveport. She will tell him a story of my allowing my love for you to put her in danger. She will tell him that she is sick of being cast to the side as I am no longer a good master." He was very sad, she could feel this through his body. "She is hoping that William will try and take the opportunity to lure her into his world. She is hoping that he will try and persuade her to give Victor fealty. She will make a very good case for feeling abandoned and feeling like she has been made a fool." He rubbed his face over hair and inhaled her scent.

"But what if this William figures out her plan? What if he realizes that she was just trying to get information?" Her voice was more than concerned.

"Sookie, if they realize that she still is faithful to me, they will kill her." There was no emotion in his voice. He was just laying the facts down.

"But, you can't let her do that. You have to stop her. It isn't worth it…I can take care of this guy myself." She knew that was not the case, but it sure felt good to say.

"I can't stop her. She called me from a disposable cell phone to let me know what was happening. She wanted to let me know that she was ready to fight, that she was willing to do anything to ensure our safety. She was tossing the phone after we ended our call. She does have her personal cell, but she will not answer it. She needs to prove that when I call her…she will not respond. It is a very punishable offense to not come when your maker calls. She plans on using that to show that she is cutting all ties with me. If she can show William that she is willing to be severely punished, it will make her story more convincing." He was still boring a hole in the wall with his eyes.

All in all it was a pretty solid plan. It was the best way to get to William and Victor, to gain entry into their world. Such a powerful vampire would stop at nothing to try and gain a rival's fealty. Pam was smart, sometimes too smart for her own good.

"Is there anything that we can do? I can't stand to think of her getting hurt. I know she's a vampire and all, and she loves this kind of thing. But, she is my friend. She is my friend Eric, and she is your's. How can you be so calm?" She was scared for Pam, and she was scared for him.

"It is best to keep a level head. I have great faith in Pamela, she will not let us down. I will need to keep my temper under control. I know if she gains entry, and if she can convince William to accept her story, the first thing that he will want to do is parade her under my nose. He will bring her here, making sure that I see that my child has a new master."

"But Eric, everyone knows that she would never turn on you. Everyone knows how loyal she is. Plus, wouldn't bringing her here just make it easier for you to punish her? wouldn't that be like bringing the lost child back home?" She questioned the plan.

"Not exactly…most of the vampires around here know that I do not require Pam to stay with me. They know that she is here on her own free will and not by my hand. Yes, in bringing her here she would be subject to my punishment, but that is what he would be expecting. William will want to see me punish her, even a little. It will truly make her look like she has betrayed me." He let his voice dip to that very low, very dangerous tone.

"So, Pam is expecting you to punish her at some point. She is willing to be hurt, by you in order to help save us?" She could feel her voice crack as she realized the devotion in Pam's plan.

"Yes, that is exactly the reaction she is expecting. She will be hurt by my hand, even if she knows that there is no true malice behind it." He walked away and sat in his office chair. He let his head drop back and ran his hands over his hair. This was hurting him, he was a ball of anger, fear, anxiety, and pride? Proud that his child was willing to go to such extremes to protect he and his beloved. He made a mental note to give her a very big raise when this was all over and done with.

"Eric, we need to go back to the bar. No one else is here to control the masses. Let's not think about it, OK." She tried to take her own advice, but she kept worrying about Pam. She took his hand and led the way back through the bar. They only had to make it another couple of hours. The bar would close and they could go home and relax.


	22. Chapter 22

Pam kept a close eye on the compound that had William inside of it. She was ready to throw her plan into action, she was ready for anything. Her fangs ran out anticipating what lay ahead.

Pam heard some stirring and realized that William had spotted her, he came to her with vampire speed, ready to pounce on Pam. What she did next was something that he never expected, he needed to blink his eyes to make sure he was not seeing things.

Before William could strike her she bent down on her knee's and bowed before him. William looked at her and was unsure of what her plan was.

"You can tell Northman that invading our territory without prior notice is subject to an investigation." The vampire hissed at her. William was a very interesting vampire. His hair was as red as Arlene's fake dye job, only his was natural. He was old, but not as old as Eric, and he was a farmer prior to being turned. You could tell that he had lived a life of hard work, and little compensation. He was strong and broad. He had eyes that were as green as a cat's, but with better vision.

"Please, William…hear me out. I am not here on behalf of _Northman._" Pam made his name sound like it was choking her. "I am here to ask you for acceptance." Pam was not using her normal, unemotional tone. She made it sound like she was truly desperate for help.

"Acceptance? And you come to me? I should stake you dead for the lies that fill your mouth." William was not buying her story.

"William, I will no longer be loyal to a master that cares nothing for me. Ever since he took up with the _human, _he has been unnecessarily…careless. I will not allow myself to be put into danger in that way. Trouble follows that human, everywhere she goes. I do love a good fight, but they will be the final death of me." Pam continued with her pathetic, rescue me voice.

"And I am supposed to help you? Why would I ever do such a thing? You are nothing to me…you mean nothing." William was as cold as Victor.

"I thought I could be of use to you. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. The Viking has yet to see my fury, I want him to see how sorry he will be. When I pointed out how careless and human he was being when dealing with the telepath he almost killed me. I asked him to act like the vampire he was and just kill her, get it over with. They have this unspeakable bond. If he killed her it would end, there would be no more bond and no more human." Pam made sure that William was taking in her story. "He cast me out as soon as I mentioned it. All the years of loyalty I laid at his feet…and that human is dragging him around by the balls." Pam was laying it on thick.

"And tell me _Pam, _why didn't you just kill the human?" William asked a good question.

"Because I knew that if he found out I was behind it he would kill me also. It would be his right. " Simple answer was best.

"And you don't think he will kill you now? Running to me and Victor, I don't see the Viking forgiving this offense. I think that you have made a very unwise decision, Pam…" William was cut off by the ringing of Pam's cell phone. She took it from her bag and made sure that William could see the caller ID. Of course it flashed ERIC.

Pam ignored the annoying ring of the phone. She made it look as though it was paining her to not answer it, like there was physical pain involved. Pam let it ring and ring. She waited for it to stop and placed it back into her bag.

She bowed again in front of the vampire. "Very well William. Perhaps I have made an unwise decision, but it is no worse than the life that has been forced upon me. Thank you for your time. I must be on my way, I think it is best for me to leave Louisiana." Pam made her face look helpless and disappointed. The phone began to ring again, he had excellent timing. Like the last call, Pam ignored it and gave a look of physical pain. She turned her back on William and began to walk away.

"Pam, you realize that if you are lying I will kill you." William was giving her fair warning.

"And William, if I was lying I would have killed you already." Pam gave him a glare that let him know she was a force to be reckon with,

"Please, lets go inside. We can finish this conversation in a better location. Victor will be very interested in the story you tell." William took the bait. Hook, line, and sinker. She gave herself a silent, mental pat on the back.

"Thank you. I hope that we can come to an arrangement." Pam was back to using her icy, toneless voice.

The two vampires walked into the compound and Pam took in her surroundings. She wondered if Victor was making up for his lack of anatomy by having such an elaborate home. Kind of like men that purchase big, expensive cars. In her years she had learned that those types of men are always trying to make up for their _short comings_.

Pam was watched with intense scrutiny. Every step she made was analyzed and studied. Pam never once faltered, she was deep into her game. She was not going to give anything away.

"Don't move, stay here until I call you in. I swear Pam, this will be your last night on this Earth if I find you to be deceiving me." William was as cold as she had ever heard him.

William walked into a very large office and shut the door. Their were guards everywhere. Even if Pam wanted to move she couldn't. The door was closed and it was heavy, the discussion going on behind it was inaudible to even her ears. William was gone for what seemed like hours, but he was back in less than five minutes.

"Pam, enter." William's voice was commanding as he shouted through the door.

She walked in and saw Victor sitting behind a very large desk. Victor was glaring at her like she was a donor waiting to be bitten. As Pam had done earlier she took to he knee and bowed in front of him. Victor appeared to be as shocked as William was at the sight.

"I hear that there is trouble in paradise. Tell me, why are you _really_ here." Victor was speaking very quietly. If he was angry it was hard to tell.

"I am here to offer you fealty. I will provide my loyalty and my faithfulness to you. I wish to no longer be a part of the Vikings life. He has decided that being with a _human _is more important than his life." Again, Pam made her voice sound sick and pathetic.

"So, I am expected to believe that you are here on your own free will and not on orders from your maker?" Victor tapped his fingers on the desk.

"I am here on my own will. My maker has no idea where I am. He cast me out and he banished me from his Area." Pam made her voice sound disgusted.

"And what did you do to be banished Pam?" Victor was starting to get a little more heated.

Pam took deep breath and readied herself for the big lie. "I asked him to kill the human. I told him he was acting foolish and that he was going to get himself killed protecting that blood sack. I wanted to kill her myself." Pam was cold.

"But you pledged your life to protect that blood sack, by orders from the King. You do know what would happen to you if De Castro knew you were not willing to obey his desire?" Victor was not going to make this easy.

"Yes, I did pledge my life to protect her. That was before she bewitched my maker. My first responsibility was to him, I see her as a threat to his life. She is a very bad influence on him. She is dragging him around by his balls. As soon as I made the suggestion that he kill her and end the _bond, _he beat me. He banished me and threw me out of the bar. I disappeared and decided that I would no longer be a part of his game." Pam looked at him and tried to almost Glamour him into believing her.

"William, bring me my cell phone." Victor never took his eyes off Pam When the phone was in his hand he dialed. He was calling Eric.

"Northman, tell me…how is Pam?" He paused and waited for Eric's response. "You don't say. I would think that is rather harsh Eric. Yes, I know exactly where she is. How long have you been calling her?" Victor nodded his head and looked Pam up and down. "And she has not responded to your call? Well, I would think that the treatment she received earlier is nothing compared to what you have in store for her for not answering your call. Tell me Eric…are you really willing to give up Pam in order to keep that little, blond telepath?" Victor waited again as Eric spoke on the other end of the phone. "Really, married to the human…how normal of you. Northman, I will be keeping your child. She has pledged her fealty to me, she is no longer your concern." With that Victor hung up the phone and tossed it on the desk in front of him.

"William, please show our guest her room. We must keep her comfortable if she is to be of use to us. Pam, you will be of use to us." He glared at her and let his fangs run out. Pam gave him a devious look that told him she was more than willing to participate. She gained entrance, she got them to accept her story. Now all she needed to do was get a little amount of trust. That would come tomorrow night when she would suggest the trip to Fangtasia to show her old master that she was now under a new regime.

TBC……


	23. Chapter 23

"_Pam has tricked William" his voice was unemotional._

"_Bill, Pam tricked Bill?" She was a little confused._

"_No lover, not Bill Compton. William is Victor's second, remember?" He gave her a gentle and reassuring stare._

"_Right, sorry. I'm just so tired and so crazed by this whole thing. When this is all over and done with you're really going to have to school me on the Who's who of vampire politics." She smiled even though the mood was deadly serious._

"_I will see that you are properly educated…after this is over." He took her hand in his and kissed the back of it._

"_So, was that William that called?" She knew it was someone that Eric was not pleased to hear from. His body and the bond had tensed as he listened to the conversation._

"_No, that was Victor. He was calling to see if I would give anything away regarding Pam's sudden appearance. I expected him to call and try to find the fatal flaw, but I am sure that I convinced him that Pam had in fact left my Area." He shook his head, upset that he needed to speak so poorly of Pam._

"_So, if Victor was the one that called you she must really have found a way in. That's good, right?" Her voice sounded a little more upbeat._

"_Good? No…what this is lover is dangerous. Pam is taking a very big risk. I will not be able to protect her while she is inside at Madden's." His blue eyes were taking on a very distinct shade of gray._

"_Well, Pam is tough. She can take care of herself." She had hoped that her words of encouragement were helping him to relax._

"_Yes she is very tough. But she is also behind enemy lines, and that is never a good place to be. It is in her best interest to stay ingratiated to them, but be as far away from them as possible." Eric knew a little too much about wartime trickery._

"_When you say away from them…do you mean like keeping them on the other side of the house? Or do you mean like bringing themcloser to us?" She was a little concerned that Pam just might show up at their house, Victor and William in tow._

"_Both. She should avoid contact with them as much as possible while inside of Madden's compound, but that will be impossible. They will be constantly around her, making sure she is not contacting me or scheming to make a move. And, she should try to bring them as close to my Area as possible. She knows that if she can bring them here, show them that she is no longer under my hand, it will better our chances of grabbing William." He was going through all of the possible dangers in his mind. "Damn it, I should try and stop this. This can not end well." His emotions finally exploded. The crowd of people in the bar noticed as his yell was more fierce than he had expected._

_He glanced at the time, only an hour until the bar closed. Then again, he was the owner…he could do whatever he wanted._

"_Get out! Everyone, leave immediately." His voice was ragged and he was waving his arms around, pointing them towards the exit. A few of the employees noticed the change in him and quickly began helping clear the bar. Most of the patrons knew to just obey and do as they were instructed. A few stragglers put up a stink about paying for drinks and not being able to finish them. When Eric heard the fuss they were making he quickly got into their face. His eyes penetrated them with an intense fear. Maybe it was a combination of Glamour and terror, but those few people ran…never to come back to this bar again._

_When the bar was finally clear, and the employees released he let out an unnecessary breath. He looked around and paced the floor. He was torn as to whether or not he should retrieve Pam and risk both of their lives in doing so, or should he trust his child's plan and wait. She could feel how helpless he felt. He was certain that he was letting Pam down and letting her down. He could not handle the idea of being weak and threatened._

_She walked over to him and tried to wrap her arms around him and calm him. He actually brushed her arms away and turned his back to her. At that moment she was truly scared for him, she was worried that he was going to make a irrational and foolish move. She thought that he was going to go and try to kill Victor and William both. She could feel the animal rage inside of him. His need to hunt and kill was so strong, her body hurt to think of him in this way._

_He heard her heavy breathing, he knew that she was feeling all of his fear and his rage. He could smell the adrenaline that had begun to coarse its way through her body. He felt how scared she was, but it was not fear for herself, it was fear for him. He still had his back to her, he did not want to be comforted at this moment. He wanted to feel the fury that was encapsulating him. _

_She couldn't stand it any longer. The bond was a mess and she knew that he was not wanting her to see him in this way. She made a decision that she thought was the best one at the time, she turned and quickly ran to the exit. If he wanted to be alone she was going to grant him that wish. She was gone in lightning fast speed, the recent blood she had was enough to get her silently to the door. He didn't even have time to recognize that she had run from him._

_He lifted his nose to the air and realized that her scent was further away. He had been so busy trying to handle his emotions that he didn't grasp the fact that she was overwhelmed and scared to be shut out. He turned around and his eyes flew open as she was no longer behind him. All of a sudden the rage and fury was replaced with fear and anxiety. He had no idea how long he was left alone, but it was more than a couple of minutes._

_He had told her that they needed to be safe and never left alone. He told her that it was too dangerous for her right now. As usual, she didn't listen to his warnings. She completely forgot that she needed to be protected from an invisible evil. She was more concerned with giving him space and letting him be all vampiric without her._

_She pushed through the exit and had every intention of getting into the car and driving herself home. Not a problem for him since he could easily and quickly fly home. She paused for a moment and thought about just sitting in the car and waiting for him to calm down and leave the building._

_Something was not right, something was off. She stopped dead in her tracks, she didn't want to move. She was very aware that she was alone when she should not be. She opened her mind and desperately tried to listen for anything. She had no time to react, even with the vampire blood in her there was no time._

_Gotcha_

She heard the click of a gun barrel right before the shot rang out, much like the night she was shot by Sweetie. She braced herself for what she knew was to come. She tried to run, but it was too late. She felt the first bullet rip through her leg, tearing the flesh as it penetrated her thigh. The second shot hit her in the stomach, she crumbled with the pain of what was happening. There was one last shot, she heard the bullet release from the gun. She knew that if she did not do something drastic it would be the kill shot. She was not willing to die like this, there was still so much of her life left. 

She contorted her body into something that would have been normally impossible. The pain was more than she could handle, she felt her blood pooling out of her body. The third bullet pierced her neck and lodged in her shoulder. If she had not moved her body in time it would have clearly struck her in the head. She laid on the pavement and did not move. She thought it best to act as though she was dead, perhaps her attacker would run.

_Got her, the bitch is dead. Run, run, get out of here. Grab the shells, faster_

He was accepting her act of playing dead. He knew he hit her three times. Each time a bullet entered her body he saw a spray of blood. He was certain that no human could take three bullets and live. She felt his mind leave, but she was also feeling her blood leave her body. She couldn't move, she couldn't scream. All she could do was hope that he felt her, hope that he had heard the shots through his rage. As the blood left her body a tear streamed down her face. She was not ready to die, she was not ready to leave him. 

She tried desperately to call to him. All of this had happened in mere seconds. How could she have been so stupid to leave the bar without him at this time of night? She felt her body becoming cold, she was accepting the fact that she was going to die on the dirty ground. The only warmth that she could feel was the heat of her tears falling onto her cold, cold cheeks. She was starting to lose the feelings in her fingers and her legs.

Her mind was racing, trying to keep her mentally alert. She kept repeating to herself. "stay awake, stay awake. He's coming, he's coming". Her mind began to go over her existence. Was she a good person, would God forgive her sins? Would he understand that the choices she made were all based on either love, self defense, fear?

She had only been laying on the ground for a few minutes. But in that time she reflected on her short life. She wanted to make up with her brother, she wanted to completely forgive Bill, she wanted to know Niall better, she wanted to say goodbye to Sam and tell him that she loved him and that someday he would find someone that truly made him happy. Mostly she didn't want to leave him. 

Her mind wandered to the night she first met him. She remembered the dress she was wearing, the way he looked at her, the way her body seemed drawn to him. She thought about all of the times they shared together when he was cursed. She was picturing the first night she took him in, how he crawled into bed with her and held her hand. She remembered him making love to her and the first time he told her that he loved her. They had lost so much time after he regained his memories, it wasn't enough time. She didn't have enough time with him. She can't die like this. This wasn't the way it was supposed to happen.

She was supposed to be sharing her life with him, taking his name, living a long and happy life. Instead she was bleeding to death in a parking lot. She silently said goodbye to him and she closed her eyes. She mentally took his name and mindlessly began reciting vows that she had planned to share with him in just a few days…"Honor, cherish, forsake all others. Until death parts us, until death parts us, until death parts us…" 

She was slipping in and out of consciousness, she was so cold. Less than two minutes had past, but in those two minutes she truly saw her life flash before her eyes. It would not be long, she could feel it.

TBC….


	24. Chapter 24

_He ran as fast as he could to the door, he looked like a flash of light. He knew something was deadly wrong. He never heard the bullets because he was so involved in his own head. Even with his intense hearing, he didn't hear the shots. He was too enraptured with what he needed to do to save them all. He felt her and he felt the pain that was ripping through her body. It was a pain like no other, he felt weak as it hit him and tortured him. He ripped the door from its hinges as it was in his way._

_He saw her, he smelled her blood, her smelled gun powder. She was alive, but barely. He still felt a piece of her inside his body. There was blood everywhere, too much blood. He was afraid, never in his 1000 years had he ever been this afraid. Time was moving in slow motion, the world around him felt like it was stopping. The words inside of his mind were echoing. "No…no! Sookie…no!" His voice was never as intense as it was in that moment._

_He threw himself on top of her, he thought that he may need to shield her from another attack. Cold, red tears flowed from his eyes. He shook her body and tried to make her open her eyes. Too much blood. He dragged his hands over her bloody body feeling for the wounds. He knew from the amount of blood that she had lost that she was hit more than once._

_He felt the three holes in her flesh. He felt how cold she was, there was not much time. "My love, my love. No…Sookie, please. Please do not leave me." The bond that they shared was in pain and it was becoming weaker. He cradled her body and wept her name over and over. He knew that he needed to get the bullets out of her body and begin healing her. He knew that she was minutes away from being gone forever._

_For a brief moment she fluttered her eyes. She thought she was dead and seeing things. She felt his hands on her, she heard his voice. She was no longer in any pain. She was surely in heaven. He knew that she was delirious, he knew that she was slipping away._

_He looked into her dying eyes and begged her to stay with him. He kissed her face and sobbed for her. She felt his lips and knew that she must be gone. Due to the delirium she began repeating the last part of her vows again. She was seeing him standing before her in his black suit, looking into her eyes as she vowed herself to him. She pictured his gorgeous blue eyes penetrating her body as she recited the traditional wedding vows. She was mumbling._

"_Until death parts us, until death parts us, until death…." She was out again. Hearing her voice, weak as it may be caused him to roar out in sorrow. He had told her that he would never turn her. She was dying, she was slipping away. He couldn't call for an ambulance, he decided that he needed to act quickly._

_He closed his eyes and plunged his fingers into her open wounds. Thank god she was passed out. The pain of this surely would have put her over the edge. He probed his fingers into her flesh and searched out the bullets. He dug and clawed at her flesh to get the shots out of her. His fingers were deep inside of her thigh. He felt the tip of something metal and it immediately burned him. These bullets had some type of silver in them._

_He didn't recoil his hand, he needed to save her. The burning of his flesh was nothing compared to the life that he needed to save. He clamped on the to bullet and pulled it from her body. He needed to be forceful as the bullet had lodged in the bone. He could hear his flesh searing, but he felt no pain. He knew that he had opened the wound further by digging in her body. He dropped the bullet to the ground and ripped his t-shirt of his body. He tore it into shreds and wrapped it tightly around her leg, it was the best tunicate he had. She was still out cold._

_He cradled her body and thrust his fingers into the wound in her gut. He kissed her hair and her face as he wept and searched inside of her body. This bullet was closer to the surface, but it was slippery. He thought for a moment that he might push the object further into her body. He was terrified that he was doing more harm than good. His fingers were being burned badly, but he kept fingering the bullet until he had a good grip. He ripped it from her body and pressed his t-shirt on the open wound._

_She was still out, he needed to get his blood into her and quickly. She was not going to last much longer. He begged her to open her eyes and listen to him._

"_Lover please, please…you must hear me. You must hear my words. I need you to wake up and look at me. Please Sookie, please…do not leave me here. I will never forgive you if you leave me here. Sookie, please!" He was screaming words into her ear as he wrapped his arms around her limp body. He was rocking her back and forth like a baby, he pleaded with his gods to grant him this wish._

"_Please, in need you to hear me. I need you to be with me. My love, my love…do not leave me." He was uncontrollably shaking her. "I love you, please hear me…I love you, I love you." He could feel her slipping further and further away._

_She could hear his desperate voice, but it seemed so distant to her. It sounded like he was miles and miles away from her. She desperately tried to open her eyes and see where he was. She was certain that she was gone, she had left him. The urgency in his voice was something like she had never heard. She tried to force her mind back to consciousness. _

_He thought he felt her head move, he pulled her back from his body and saw her eyes fluttering. She was hearing him, she was not willing to die. She was able to crack her eyes open and see his face. He was begging her to hear him, suddenly she felt a sharp, mind altering pain in her body. She knew she was still alive, she could feel the pain again._

"_My love, please…please. Open your mouth, open your mouth. Hear me please!" There was not a word for the fear he was feeling. She knew that he was trying to save her. With more effort than she could have imagined she tried to open her mouth. She was so weak and so cold. She almost couldn't do it. He saw a smallest of openings and took advantage of her mental state._

_He clamped down on his wrist and tore a piece of flesh from the wound. He needed as much blood flow as possible. He slammed his arm down on her and held it to her face. More of his blood was spilling off of her rather than in her. She tried to slip her tongue out to catch it but she was too weak. Small drops of blood trickled into her mouth and down her throat._

_With each drop she became more and more aware of her surroundings. She still couldn't muster enough strength to latch on to the life saving wound. He made the rash decision to lay her back down on the pavement and let her body go. He straddled her as she lay dying and took his arm that wasn't feeding her and ripped her head backwards._

_He needed to get her mouth open and pushing her head back was the only thing he could think of. He hated laying her on the ground, if she was going to die he wanted to be holding her and comforting her. He wanted to be the last thing that she felt when she finally slipped away. If she was going to leave him he wanted to feel that last bit of life she had._

_Her eyes opened wider as she felt him pull her with such force. She could feel the pain run through her body. She was terrified that she was leaving him. He sat on top of her and squeezed his wrist, causing the blood to flow faster. Her mouth was further open, the blood was getting into her more. She knew that he was willing to do whatever it took._

_She tried to wrap her mouth around his wrist, but she still couldn't get enough strength to help. She lay there, paralyzed by pain and fear. She could feel his blood going down her throat. She just needed to hold on long enough to feel something other than the pain. If she could get enough blood she could have the strength to pull on his wound. She would be able to wrap her arms around him and help save her own life._

_Her eyes were wide and intense, like she was a rabid animal not knowing how she got the way she did. His wound began to close and she felt the blood flow slow down. He screamed and cursed his ability to heal that fast. He pulled his arm away and bit down on the other one, tearing an even bigger piece of flesh away. He turned his attention back to holding her head back and let the new gash pour down on to her mouth._

_The new wound flowed faster than the other, she could start to taste his blood. Her mind that was so black was becoming more alert. She could see the color in his eyes and the red on his mouth. She tried to move her head closer to his arm but was unable to do so. He saw that she was slowly getting stronger, but he needed more time. The wound in her shoulder and neck had stopped bleeding. He knew that the bullet that hit here there was not a deadly wound. It was the other open wounds that he needed to heal, and quickly._

_The blood trickled down her throat and she tried swallowing as much as she could. Again, the wound was closing, but he could feel her body. He could feel her urge to fight. He could feel the bond and the desire to stay with him. He was not giving up, he was not letting her go._

_He knew that he needed to open another wound, but he was getting weak himself. He had lost a lot of his blood, but not nearly the amount of her blood that surrounded him._

_He cradled her back in his arms and held her to him. Her head flopped on to his shoulder, he could feel her shallow, hot breath on his skin._

_That was it, he knew what to do. He grabbed the pocket knife out of his jeans and he drew it across his neck. The blood oozed from the cut and he took her head and put it directly over the incision. She didn't need to open her mouth, she didn't need to grab on with her arms. All she needed to do was put her mouth over it and suck._

_He rubbed her back and tried to persuade her to move. She felt him trying to get her going, she felt her tongue slip out and catch the blood. She instantly knew what needed to be done. She placed her lips around the cut and she sucked._

_She pulled so hard that he felt his body getting weaker. Each pull was stronger and more intense. She was feeding, she was saving herself, she was fighting. He wrapped his arms around her and held her more tightly than her ever had in the past. His weakness was drawing on him, but he was not willing to let her go. If she was going to leave him he needed to be with her. She drew on the wound, she was able to raise her arms and he felt them wrap around his neck._

"_Oh god, please lover, please. Keep feeding, keep sucking, you mustn't stop. I love you Sookie, please." Her strength was keeping him with her. He felt her mouth getting stronger and knew that he needed to be strong enough to stop her. He would keep his promise that she not be turned. _

_Her arms tightened around him and she started to scream out in pain. She was stronger, she was strong enough to force a blood curdling shriek out of her body. He pulled her head away from his neck and looked at her bloody face. She was with him, she was alive. _

_He took her face in his and kissed her forehead. She had lost so much blood, he knew that she needed to get to a hospital to get further medical attention. He was weak, he was scared…he knew that the amount of blood she lost versus the amount he allowed her to take was not enough to save her life._

_The amount needed to save her life would turn her, he promised he wouldn't. He felt his cool lips against her warm face. He could feel his body weaken as he hugged her tight. She tried to speak but couldn't get the words out. She was dizzy and disoriented from what had just happened. She knew that she was badly hurt and that she was clinging to life. She looked down and saw the material wrapped around her leg, she saw her blood pooled all around her. She saw him, white, pallor than usual, his bare chest streaked with both of their blood. _

_He tried to fumble in his pocket for his phone, he needed to get her more help. She could tell by the way he was looking that things were still not good. She could also tell that he was not well. She couldn't tell how much of his blood she had ingested, she was scared to think of that. She could feel his arms start to weaken around her. She watched him as he lowered his head down to rest against hers. His hair was sticky and matted with blood just as hers was. He was slipping, she got up enough strength to tighten her arms around him. He kissed her softly on the neck where her wound was healing._

"_Thank you…I love you." She felt him go under, he had lost a great deal of his blood. Not only did she take it, but it had also poured on to the ground before she was able to feed from him. She held on to him with everything she had. The weight of his body was too much to support, she felt them tilting backwards. _

_She laid with him, her arms wrapped around his body, not willing to let go. Now all she could do was pray. Pray she had the strength to survive, pray she could protect him. Pray that help would come. She laid her head on his chest and drifted back under._

_TBC…_

_._


	25. Chapter 25

_The smell of blood was everywhere, they were like sacrificial lambs. They were vulnerable and weak. They lay wrapped in each others arms, completely lifeless. Anyone or anything could dispose of both of them without an effort. _

_Bill was driving towards Bon Temps from visiting a vampire colleague in Shreveport. He was focused on getting home, but something inside of him was telling him to turn around. He had a sudden feeling of pain and helplessness. He had no idea where it was coming from, he only new that there was something not right._

_Bill had her blood so many times, but she had only taken his a couple of times. It was so long ago…could he still feel her? He was uncertain of what was happening, he only knew that he needed to pick up the pace. Bill didn't even know where he was going, his senses carried him._

_The smell of blood entered his nose, it was more than vampire blood. He smelled her and he abruptly realized that what he was going to find was not good. He was still a good distance away from Fangtasia…the smell of blood that strong meant there was a lot of it. He drove and pressed the accelerator down as far as it would go. Bill knew that if he got pulled over by the police he would need to kill the officer so he could continue on his mission._

_Bill flew into the parking lot at about ninety miles an hour and slammed on his breaks. His fangs fully extended when he saw the blood before him. He saw them, laying on the ground, not moving. He leapt from the car and tried to keep his blood lust in check._

_She was covered in blood, she was almost unrecognizable. She was alive, he could smell her and hear her faint heart beat. Eric was still with him also, but he could see how weak he was. Never had Bill seen him in such a defenseless state. If Bill ever wanted to separate he and Sookie now was his chance. All he would have to do was go into the bar and find something to use as a stake. Bill contemplated this and looked at the two of them._

_She was wrapped around him, still clenching him even as she lay passed out. She was so fragile and helpless, but she still clung to him. Bill looked and saw that his arm was wrapped around her waist, still cradling her to his body. At that moment Bill knew that she was truly Eric's. They were willing to die in each others arms, they looked like one being as they lay on the ground._

_Their golden hair was the color of old blood. It was hard to tell which hair belonged to him and what was hers. Their bloody bodies entwined, Bill couldn't separate her blood from his. The combination covered them both. She was a part of him, just as he was a part of her. Bill could never cause her so much hurt by removing him permanently. He grabbed his phone and made a call. He crouched down next to their bodies. He was going to protect them until help arrived. _

_The smell of their blood was so intense that he was sure some other creatures had caught the scent. Bill blocked their bodies and waited for anything to attack. The least he could do was protect her…he would not allow her to be hurt again._

_Help swiftly arrived, but it was not in the form of a blaring ambulance. It was in the form of the tiny but familiar Dr Ludwig. She surveyed the damage and instructed Bill to carry her inside. Bill did not need to worry about getting into the building, Eric had done quite a number on the door in his charge to get to her. The tiny doctor waited beside Eric as Bill carried her into the office._

_Bill came back out to retrieve him, his body was enormous and difficult to maneuver. He wondered where Pam was while this was happening._

_Dr Ludwig came in behind them and was barking orders at Bill. He retrieved the bottles of blood that she requested, the t-shirts from the gift counter, the bar towels from the storage closet. Bill's eyes focused on her broken, bloody body. It was so long ago that he had watched this same doctor bring her back from death's door, but could she do it again?_

_The doctor ran her fingers over her body and spoke in a tongue that not even Bill could understand. Bill had a hard time watching her, he did not want to see her death. Never had he wanted to see her death. _

_The fact that Pam was not there began to eat away at his mind. Bill began pacing in the office and talking to himself. He took out his phone and called Pam. He needed an explanation._

_She actually answered, she felt it was a good idea to tell Compton that she and Eric had parted ways. Just another lie to weave in her plan. Little did Pam know that what she was working to avoid was in the process of happening._

"_Pam, where the hell are you?" Bill hissed and screamed into the phone. He paused as he listened to Pam explain where she was. "You listen to me. Sookie is hurt, badly. Pam I do not think she is going to make it. Eric is in bad shape too. I can't really tell what happened, but if the parking lot is any indication…he tried to give her his blood. He lost a lot of blood Pam." Bill's eyes widened with rage. "I don't know what kind of shit story you're spewing Pam but this is bad. This is very bad and you need to get your ass here to help!" Bill's anger was boiling over. "Pam…Pam?!" She had hung up on Bill, and he didn't think it was to rush to their side._

_Bill didn't know what to think, he knew that Pam would never, ever leave Eric. What was she telling him about being banished and going to Victor? He mustn't have heard her correctly. Bill was sure that Pam would be faithful to Eric until her final death. There was something not right, Pam was not right. Bill turned his eyes back to the doctor and waited for something to do._

"_Get that blood into him, now." Synthetic blood was not the best for replacing what was lost, but it would have to do. Bill walked over to him and shook him, slapped at his face and yelled._

"_Eric, god damn it. Open your fucking mouth you son of a bitch!" Bill thought that Eric of all people would most likely respond to insults. "You stupid Viking, she's dying. Open your god damn mouth!" Bill could feel him start to stir. It was like trying to wake a vampire during the day._

_Bill stuck a straw in Eric's mouth and screamed for him to drink. He continued to slap him and bring him out of his weakened state. "Faster, drink faster!" Bill was still yelling, trying to make him concentrate on what needed to be done. He suddenly realized that Eric would have better than True Blood. He was planning on getting married in just a couple of days. Eric would have ordered some specialty blends and would have had them delivered here. _

_Bill ran towards the liquor room and didn't let the locked door stop him. He pulled it from the frame and frantically searched. Bill just had a feeling that there was treasure to be found. He spotted the crate in the back corner. It contained the best money could buy. This was a mixture of pure human blood mixed with a small amount of synthetic. It was still not legal to carry full human blends, you couldn't even import it into the country._

_Bill grabbed the crate and ran back to his side. He uncorked the first bottle and held it under Eric's nose. He instantly caught the scent and reached for the bottle. Bill watched as he swallowed all of the contents. He uncorked another and waited for him to grab it. As he drank, Bill fixed his eyes back on the doctor._

_She was working feverishly to help her. Her skin was almost gray, she was so completely hurt. Eric finished the second bottle and dropped the empty. He looked at Bill and was confused. He didn't know what had happened to him. Last thing he remembered was holding her and feeling her pull his blood into her body._

_His eyes searched the room, he was panicking. He saw her sprawled out on the floor, the doctor working on her. He darted to his feet and ran towards them. He fell to the floor and laid beside her. He smoothed her blood matted hair and whispered in her ear._

"_Stay with me my love. We are almost there, you can stay strong. Stay with me, do not leave me." His voice was so low that the doctor couldn't hear his plea's. She injected something into her body and yelled for Bill to bring her a bottle of the blood that he had just provided Eric._

"_She has had too much of your blood, you can not give her anymore…not unless you have decided to turn her?" The doctor was almost asking as though that was the best option._

"_No, that is not her wish. I told her that I would not turn her. I will not turn her unless she asks and fully understands what she is requesting." He didn't take his eyes off of her._

"_She has lost a lot of blood, but the amount that you gave her is healing her inside wounds. The bullets contained silver, I can smell it in her flesh. Bullets that contain silver cause more damage to the tissue. It will take longer than usual for her to heal. You did the right thing…I can only assume that it was you that removed the bullets?" The doctor sounded happy with her finding._

"_Yes, I did not want the wounds to heal with the shots inside of her. There is still another bullet in her shoulder. I needed to start getting blood into her, I knew that the shoulder wound was not fatal." He was calm, but he could not tear his eyes away from her body._

"_Eric, why is Pam not here?" Bill's voice was icy as she broke his silence. Eric ignored the question and kept up with his rubbing of her hair. "Where is Pam, I called her to tell her…she didn't sound like she cared. What the hell is going on?" Bill demanded an answer even though he knew enough not to make demands of his sheriff._

"_Pam is working on a special mission…for us." He knew that he was going to have to tell the story. "Madden purchased a contract on Sookie's life, well on either one of our lives. But, it was the intent to take her. He wants to overtake our Area and he thought that it was best to hurt me by hurting her." He needed to say no more about the assassination plan._

"_And Pam is doing what exactly?" Bill was having a hard time listening to the tale._

"_She went to Victor with a story about me hurting her and banishing her from the Area. She made up a story that involved a reason for her to run to the enemy in the hopes that she would be able to find out who was trying to get to Sookie. Victor believed her, she is in his compound." He still was focused on his love. He watched as the doctor poured the exotic blend down her throat._

_She massaged her neck in order to get the fluid down. She kept this up for the next hour, the longest most agonizing hour of his life. When she stopped she injected her again with some type of medication. She turned to look at Eric and nodded._

"_What are you doing? She is still hurt, what do we do now?" Eric's voice was desperate for an explanation and an instruction. He was willing to do anything the doctor asked of him. His eyes dripped with red as the doctor looked at him, expressionless._

"_Now all we can do is wait." The doctor tilted her head and walked away._

_TBC…_


	26. Chapter 26

_Pam was certain that Bill was not correct. She could not let out the slightest bit of concern… she had an audience. Victor and William eyed her closely as she listened to Bill explode about Eric and Sookie's condition. When she heard what had happened she felt her insides break. If she had a beating heart it would have stopped. She looked at the two vampires and smiled wickedly. She needed to use this, she needed to help._

_Pam slammed the phone down and grinned a very evil grin. "I have good news…Compton has just informed me that the little blond, blood sack is dead." Her mouth hurt as she said the words. "She was attacked at Fangtasia, or something…I really don't care. Long story short, she's dead. My day can not get any better." Pam let her fangs run out to show her pleasure with the situation._

"_Excuse me, did you just say that the telepath is dead?" Victor was certain that Pam was mistaken. His eyes gleamed with the idea that his plan had worked._

"_Guess so, and Eric's in pretty bad shape too. Bill said that it looked like he tried to save her by giving her his blood. Of course, with his devotion to the bitch he probably drained himself dry trying to save her. Fool, I told him that she would get him killed. Oh, listen to me…I guess my day can get better." She laughed out loud as she thought about Eric._

"_Pam, you certainly are taking this news rather well. I am surprised at how quickly you have turned your back on Northman." Victor was being cautious._

"_Victor, what good is it to relive the past and feel sorry for something that was inevitable. Wasted time, all of it is wasted time. I feel nothing…nothing except relief." If a vampire could feel sick Pam was certainly there._

"_I see, how very practical of you. William, please make sure that we send a sympathy plant to Northman. We need to express our condolence's." He was a disgusting bastard._

"_Certainly sir, I will have it delivered tomorrow." William had taken on a very funny look. He was staring at Pam, waiting for more information. _

"_Oh, also…we should get in contact with De Castro. He should know what has happened. I am sure that Eric will be overcome with grief. The king may want to, __rearrange_ our current position." The way Victor spoke rearrange made Pam want to remove his head.

"May I sign the card too?" Pam was really reaching. She looked at the two and threw her head back and laughed.

"Of course, we should show Eric that we are all thinking of him in such a time of loss. I hear it is very painful to lose a bonded." Victor looked like a mad man as he thought about Eric suffering.

"Well, I think I've had enough good news for one night. Do you mind if I retreat to my room?" Pam hated asking him for anything, but she needed to get away and think.

"Please, go right ahead. William, make sure that Pam gets to her room." He waved the two of them off and they both bowed deeply. They walked silently through the huge corridors. She knew that something was bothering William. She could sense the fear from deep inside him. When they finally arrived at her door she knew this was the opportunity she had been hoping for.

"William, would you like to come in and revel in my new found freedom?" She grinned and motioned for him to follow her. "Don't worry, I am perfectly harmless…I find comfort in a more feminine body." She winked at him.

"Oh certainly, yes…I didn't think that you were trying to seduce me Pam." He cleared his throat, even though there was no need.

"So can you believe it? Finally, to be rid of them. Or at least her for now." Pam was going to try and get enough information as she could.

"Yes, this is definitely an eventful night." William would not look at her.

"I can't wait to meet with Felipe. Do you think that Victor is right, will he want to rearrange the Area's so quickly." Pam felt his body tense even more, he was tighter than a mattress spring.

"I am not sure. Pam, it is in your best interest to not be with Victor when he tells the king about Miss Stackhouse." He referred to her by name?

"Please, William…you don't need to use her name. I prefer to call her something much less respectful. How about the dead bitch?" Pam laughed again.

"Pam, listen to me…we were all ordered to protect her. We were forced on orders from Felipe himself. It was not just you and Eric that had to pledge yourself to her. We all had to do it, he wanted to make sure that she was safe wherever she went. He is not going to be pleased.. He is going to be very, very angry." William was getting closer, she could feel it.

"What do you care? Neither of us were there, Eric banished me. It's not like I could have done anything to help the dead bitch. Why are you acting this way…we should be celebrating!" Pam gave a little swing of her hips as she said the words.

"No, we should not be celebrating. We should be fearing for our own lives. I tried to tell Victor it was a bad idea. He's just too concerned with eliminating Eric. He wanted to kill him the night of the take over, but Felipe would not listen. I tried to stop this, I even made sure to hire an imbecile to do the dirty work. I figured that he would screw up and botch the job." William couldn't shut up once he started. It was like he was purging himself in order to seek redemption. "This can't be happening, I didn't get a chance to get a warning to them, or a tip to Felipe's camp. I tried to stop it!" William apparently forgot that he was not alone and he was completely focused on boring a hole into the wall with his eyes.

"What did you try to stop William, what warning are you talking about?" Pam was getting impatient.

"I wanted to get a warning to Eric and the girl, let them know that they were in danger. I wanted to get a copy of the contract over to Felipe's office so he could see what Victor was planning. I swore to my king that I would lay my life down to protect this girl. I should have known that Victor had other plans." William looked at Pam and just stared at her.

"What contract, what are you not telling me?" Pam's voice was urgent. William knew he was in way too deep. He was switching into self preservation mode.

"We have a contract on her, ironclad contract on one of their lives…bonus if he gets them both. It's the easiest way to take over Area 5, Felipe didn't even have to be involved, until this point. I wanted to get a copy over to Felipe's under great security. If I could secretly let Felipe know I would be safe. I even thought that I would have a chance to directly serve him, and not through Victor." 

"Where is the contract, where is the copy? Maybe we can still save each other, if what you are telling me is the truth." Pam let her eyes focus directly on his, she would kill him if he didn't finish his tale.

"The original is in a safe in his office. I don't even know the code. The copy is in a safe deposit box in Monroe. Figured we'd never really have a reason to go to Monroe, he'd never look there. I was going to Glamour the hired hand into getting it from the bank and delivering it to Felipe." William was needing to sit down. Pam directed him to the armchair in the corner.

"William, we need to get that contract and we need to get Felipe in this area as soon as possible. It's not too late for us, we need to help each other." Pam was playing on his fear and not on the fact that she knew they were both still alive, barely. "We need a plan, we need a plan to get Victor and Felipe to Area 5 at the same time. We need to show Felipe that his was all Victor's plan. Go, go and call Vegas…get Felipe on the phone and tell him that he needs to get to Area 5 tomorrow night. Do it!" Pam's voice became heated and she yelled. "Leave the rest to me, I'll handle Victor." Pam exited the bedroom and William took out his phone. He did as instructed.

Pam raced back down to Victor's office, she watched him sitting at his desk, perfectly pleased with the night's events. She knocked and waited to be asked in. She gave him another deep bow of her head.

"Victor…William seems to think that I am not being honest regarding the demise of the girl. He is asking for proof, he wants to see first hand what really happened. I suggest that we travel back to Shreveport right after sun down tomorrow night. Then we will all be able to see that I am speaking the truth. I have nothing to hide from you, or from him. William is also asking Felipe to meet us there. He thinks that Eric will be so overcome with grief that he will do something rash in front of the king. What better timing could there be to show that he is weak." Pam spoke with absolutely no emotion.

"William is a smart vampire. He hasn't been my right hand for all of these years by simply trusting every pretty face he comes across. I can see why he would ask for proof of your story, I happen to agree. And just so you are aware, I will kill you if your story turns out to be a lie." He paused and waited for her reaction. Pam didn't even flinch when he said the words.

"I would expect no less sir. I am going to call Compton and tell him that we are to be in Shreveport to view the carnage. I am betting that he will relay the message to Eric, regardless of his current condition. Eric will be ready for us, hopefully in quite a state. I would like nothing better than to see him lose his temper in front of the king." Pam knew that she needed to make the call in front of Victor, he did not trust her enough to allow a private conversation.

She took the phone from his desk and dialed Bill. He didn't answer the first time, this caused her to silently worry that something more had happened. She dialed again, this time he picked up.

"Compton, we must have had a bad connection earlier. So sorry to have lost you like that." Pam knew that she had hung up on him. "Listen, my new sheriff, William, and I will be paying a visit tomorrow night. We want to express our deepest sympathy to Eric for the loss he has suffered…poor Sookie. We will also be expecting the king, news travels fast in these parts. We will be there shortly after sundown. I am assuming that Eric will be having her service at night?" Pam winked at Victor and felt her body ache. "It's set…we will see you then. I hope Eric is well enough to receive us." With the Pam slammed the phone down. She looked at Victor and smiled. "I will see you tomorrow night." She bowed and disappeared.

When she found William he was hanging his phone up and he was visibly shaken.

"Felipe is not happy. He is not happy…we're dead, I know he's going to kill us." William was almost stuttering.

"William, listen to me. We are going to Shreveport tomorrow night. I will take care of everything. You need to go into Victor's office and act like you are suspect of my story about Sookie. She is dead, and we will see the proof tomorrow night. We will see the proof and Felipe will see the proof. Then we will see that he is handed a copy of the contract. He will know that this was Victor, not you. You will be spared, Felipe is nothing if not fair. Go, act suspicious. Make sure you figure out how to get a copy of that contract into Shreveport. That is the most important part of our survival. Do you understand?" Pam needed to know that he was on board. He simply looked at her and nodded. Pam was going to need to be on high alert until the sun rose. 

TBC…


	27. Chapter 27

_Eric was still laying next to her. He could not move from her side. He silently begged her to wake up and be strong enough to hold him. He thought about the conversation they had just spoke. The way he felt he was sure that he could not live without her. He was sure that he would in fact take his own life if she slipped away._

"_Eric…Eric?" Bill was speaking to him. He gave a quick nod of his head to let him know he was listening._

"_Pam called, she told me that she is sorry to hear about the loss of Sookie. She was speaking as though she thought she was, dead. She said that she and William and Victor will be coming tomorrow night. I know that you said she was working to help get information, so I just agreed with everything she said. I did not correct her when she kept referring to Sookie as gone." Bill waited for a reaction from Eric, he did not get it. "She also said that the king will be here tomorrow night as well and that she hopes you are will enough to receive them?" Bill was feeling a little confused since he only knew a little about the situation._

_When he heard Bill mention the king he suddenly had a reaction. He sat up and looked right at Bill. "She is leading them right to me. She is leading Victor to his slaughter, and she figured out how to get the king here to witness it. She must have found what she needed, she would not allow the king to witness my punishment on Victor if she didn't have the proof that he was to blame. Bill, she is bringing me my revenge and she is covering my tracks. We must get Sookie out of here. Call the doctor back in here, now." Eric had a burst of energy, he could see Victor's head falling from his body._

_The doctor came in and gave her yet another injection. Eric stared at Sookie and hoped that she would magically awaken. "How long until we know if she will live?" Eric was back to focusing on her body._

"_As long as it takes. I will help you get her in the car. Call me if anything changes." The doctor was quite practical, much like him._

_He scooped her up and held her body against his, he laid his head on her chest and listened to her very faint, very slow heartbeat. He was going to stay by her side until he could no longer. As they walked out of the building they smelled the blood in the air. The parking lot was covered in thick, black pools of blood. He sensed that there was something out there. Out of the woods stepped Claudine._

"_I could not enter the office, it would not be safe for me." Claudine stood far away. Bill and Eric were immediately intoxicated and their eyes dilated._

"_I will be at the house at sunrise. I will watch over her while you sleep, she will not be alone." Claudine was gone as quickly as she appeared. Bill and Eric shook their heads in order to break their brief spell._

"_Bill, call someone to guard this lot. If Victor wants proof of her attack I want him to see it and smell it. I want this the same way tomorrow as it is right now." Eric placed her in the car and quickly drove home. He didn't wait for a response from Bill._

_He carried her up the stairs and laid her limp body on the massive bed. He removed her bloody, tattered clothing and cried as she didn't move a muscle. He went to the bathroom and filled a pan with steaming hot water and soap. He needed to wash the blood from her body._

_He gently cleansed her and scrubbed off the crusted blood. He needed to refill the pan with hot water several times as there was so much to clean. He remembered how she had done a very similar task for him when he was cursed. He felt the tears fall from his eyes. He thought about the time they had lost and the life they were supposed to have ahead of them. He dragged the cloth through her hair and tried to get the matted blood out of her golden strands._

_When he was finished he dressed her in a long, cotton nightgown. He slipped her under the sheets and crawled in next to her. He had no care that he was still blood covered. All he wanted to do was hold her and will her to wake up. He caressed her hair and her face. He kissed her cheek and her nose. The bond was there, but it was a distant, soft hum. He was willing to take that at this point, at least he knew she was still with him._

_He stared at her, waiting to see any movement. The last hours of darkness past and he felt the pull of sleep drawing him under. He knew that Claudine would be there to watch over her, he just wanted to wait until he knew she was there. It was so hard to fight the sleep that was calling to him. Just when he thought he was going to lose to the force he caught the distinct smell of fairy. Claudine was there. He let go of her hand and tore himself out of the bed. He retreated for the day and wrapped himself in her afghan._

_His sleep was not as restful as it normally is. He was not dead to the world as she liked to call him. He was too stricken by the fear of losing her. He could not walk around, the day time made him far too weak, and the actual bedroom was not safe for him to be in at this time. He resigned himself to accepting that she was being cared for. Her cousin would protect her and be there if she woke._

_Claudine sat at her bedside and talked to her. She held her hand and she rubbed her hair. She called Amelia and she called Sam. She knew that they should know what had happened. She also knew that the more people Sookie had around her the better. She was surprised that Sam already knew what was going on. It was Sam that Bill had called to watch over the lot while he slept for the day. It was Sam he needed to guard her scent and her spilled blood._

_Amelia didn't know where Eric lived, Sookie had never revealed that to anyone. Claudine understood the need for secrecy, but she was torn about not having loved ones around her. She decided that Amelia should know and she gave her the address. Amelia was there faster than her car could take her. She cried out loud as she looked at her friend laying motionless in her bed. The witch wanted to throw herself on top of her and shake her awake. She was having a hard time seeing her friend in such a state._

"_Does Eric know who did this to her?" Amelia was sounding very angry._

"_I think so, I can feel something that they both know who is responsible." Claudine was rubbing Sookie's hand._

"_Are they dead?" Amelia was certain that the answer would be yes._

"_That I don't know. When Eric rises I will need to leave, you will have to ask him that." She looked at Amelia and smiled._

_Just then Amelia's cell phone beeped to alert her to a text message. She pulled the tiny phone from her pocket and opened the message._

_568 Northwest Main Monroe_

_Must get box 25_

_Life and death bring to fantasia for 8_

_Need magic for key-P_

Amelia looked at the message, she had no idea what it meant. She didn't recognize the number that it was sent from. She read it over and over again. Life and death? Magic for the key? Obviously whoever sent the message knew of her ability to use her witchcraft. Who did she know in Monroe? She looked at the time from the message, it was sent at 2:38am…but was just beeping her now. 

Who would send her a message about life and death and magic at 2:30 in the morning? _P-_…Pam! Pam sent her the message. She quickly used the internet option on her phone and plugged in the address that the message revealed. First National Bank of Louisiana. She needed to get to that bank and find box 25. She looked at Claudine and explained to her why she needed to leave so quickly. Claudine smiled at her and assured her that Sookie would be fine.

Amelia tore out of the house and drove as fast as she could to Monroe, her help was needed in this plot. She thought the entire ride about what kind of spell she could use to bypass the need for a key. She needed to use her best if she was if she was going to get the contents of the box. She had once turned her friend into a cat…why couldn't she turn another object into a key? Her mind wrapped around what needed to be done.

Claudine sat silently next to her bedside. She continued where Eric had left off in cleaning her up. Her blond hair was still streaked with red, it looked stained. She wondered if she should call anyone else. She knew better than to call Jason, this was not good timing for a reconciliation. She knew that she needed to call Niall. She could not let the bitterness between he and Eric stop her from doing what was needed.

"Prince, she is here. She is not well, but she is alive." That was all Claudine needed to say in to the phone. A minute later the Prince of the Fairies was standing behind Claudine. His long, gray hair pulled back into a perfect braid. He looked at his great grandchild and looked towards Claudine.

"Why was I not called when this happened?" His voice was icy and unapologetic.

"She was being guarded by Eric. He was trying to save her when he himself became too weak to care for her. The other vampire called Doctor Ludwig and she came at once to assist." That was really the extent that Claudine knew. "You know why I was not able to intervene while they were caring for her." 

"I should have been called immediately, leave us at once." Claudine obeyed and left her alone with her great grandfather. Niall looked at her and surveyed the damage to her body. He placed his hand on her head and closed his eyes. He could feel her soul inside of her helpless body. She was strong inside, she just needed to rest longer. He smelled her skin and recognized the scent that was escaping her pores. He knew what Ludwig had injected her with.

He held his hands together and concentrated, a glowing mist began to form around his hands. When the glow became larger and more bright he waved his hands over her body, allowing the mist to settle on to her skin. Next he focused on the nearly healed wound on her neck and shoulder. He held his hand firmly on the bullet holes and squeezed. Her flesh turned white underneath the pressure and his hands were strained with the force he needed to use. Moments later he removed his hand and held it before him. Inside his palm was the last bullet. He had allowed the bullet to be removed from her body without cutting open her flesh. He placed the bullet on the table next to the bed.

He knew sat next to her and watched her. He was satisfied with the treatment that she had received from Ludwig. He would not use his magic to wake her, he knew that it was best for her to awaken when the time was right. He sat silently and watched her breath, soft and shallow. He knew that Claudine should be here with her, and he called her back in.

Claudine looked at her and knew that Niall had done something to her, and she knew that it was going to be fine.

"Are you going to wake her?" Claudine was anxious for the answer.

"No, she needs to be this way right now. Internally she is healing very well. It is her mind that needs to rest. I provided her with a healing mist that will help renew her spirit and her mind. When she finally wakes she will feel as though nothing happened."

"When will she wake? Will it be soon?" Claudine wanted to talk to her and know that she was alright.

"That depends, she will wake when her mind and spirit are ready to wake. It could be in several hours, or it could be several days." He was speaking quietly, as though she could hear him.

"I will stay beside her whenever Eric can't be. She will not be alone when she wakes, no matter what." Claudine nodded to Niall and he smiled at her. Just as quickly as he appeared, he was gone.


	28. Chapter 28

_The sun began its descent for the night. Before it had dipped beneath the horizon Eric rose. Hr could not stand to be away from her any longer. He needed to get to her and touch her. He needed to see if there was any change while he rested. He also was to wound up for the battle that was before him. He could taste his need to punish Victor for his actions._

_He walked into the room and fixed his eyes on Claudine, who was telling Sookie a story about the latest guy she had been seeing. Sookie of course was unresponsive, but it made her feel like she was keeping her company. She looked at Eric and quickly rose from her chair._

"_Eric, don't move. I will be gone in thirty seconds." Claudine smiled at him knowing that he could pounce on her at any point. "I know it may not be what you wanted, but Niall was here. He gave her a healing mist and he thinks that it is just a matter of time until she wakes. She also removed the last bullet from her body." She motioned her head to show him the shot that lay on the table. " I will be back at sunrise." _

"_Wait, I mean you no harm. Please, I need you to be here tonight. I need someone to be with her while I go and finish what has been set into motion." Eric was fixed on her, trying to focus on his love and not the intoxicating scent the flowed from the fairy._

"_I can not stay while you are here. I will be back to watch over her. Do you know who did this to our girl?" She stepped back towards the wall._

"_Yes, I plan on getting my revenge tonight. I will not rest again until the responsible party is finally dead." He was very calm and very matter of fact. "I need to leave her for hopefully a short amount of time. Please, I would be in your debt if you could return here in one hour." Eric looked to the fairy and waited for her response._

"_There is no debt needed. I will be satisfied knowing that her attacker is properly taken care of. I will be back in one hour." She was gone as quickly as she had appeared._

_Eric faced her and sat down next to her body. He stroked her hair and her face. He was still stained from the night before. He wanted to stay that way, he wanted everyone to see the fall out from her attack. It made him look much more grief stricken and not himself. The normal Eric would be carefully groomed for a meeting with the king. This Eric needed to be wild and careless._

_He laid next to her and held her in his arms, she was warm. He whispered to her and he let his fingers drag across the spot where Niall had removed the bullet._

"_Lover, we will have out revenge tonight. We will see things right. You must come back to me, you must stay with me. I love you Sookie, I love you with all that I am." He hoped that she was hearing him in whatever state she was resting in. He stayed in bed the entire time that Claudine was gone. When he realized what time it was he tore himself away from her and slipped on the jeans he wore last night, black and thick with the blood. He also put on a tank top, allowing the blood stained flesh to be seen. _

_He caught a scent of Claudine and knew that it was time. He decided that he needed to clear his head and he took to the air. The cool night wind was exactly what he needed. _

_Miles down the road drove Pam, William, and Victor. William drove the large SUV as they talked about what kind of state they expected to find Eric in. William was silent for most of the ride. His hands gripped the steering wheel, he thought he felt it bending under the pressure. He was buckling from the stress of the recent events, he didn't know if he could continue with the fear that was working its way through his body._

"_Do you think it is insensitive to give him a big __I told you so_ when I see him?" Pam was questioning Victor with a wicked grin.

"Now Pam, lets not jump to conclusions. We don't even know if the girl is truly gone. Remember, that is what this trip is all about." Victor chastised her.

"Yes, how could I forget the suspicion that follows me." Pam spoke in a very bored and irritated way.

"Oh Pam, do not feel bad. We are only trying to protect ourselves. I know that you understand our position." Victor touch his hand to her shoulder and she needed to fight the urge to snap his fingers.

"Well, it won't be long until you both see that my business is honorable. I will quite enjoy serving you going forward." Pam was practically gagging on her response.

"The king should be arriving shortly after us." William hoped that his voive did not sound so frightened.

"Great planning Victor, I am impressed that you knew to have him come so quickly. Northman is at his most vulnerable state. I am certain that the king will see that he is no longer fit to run such a profitable area." Victor cast his eyes out the window of the SUV.

At the same time they all caught the scent of blood. Lots and lots of blood. Their fangs ran out and they breathed the air heavily. Pam immediately recognized the smell of Eric. Her body began to tremble and she needed to make it look like excitement. She also knew that the scent that permeated air in such a heavy way was Sookie's. She knew that there was great blood loss, it would not be difficult for them to believe that she was dead.

They pulled into the parking lot and saw a dog pacing the ground. He snarled at them as they exited the vehicle. This was Sam and he knew that Victor was behind the attack on Sookie. He growled and he snapped at them as they approached. Pam saw that this was Sam and she walked towards the tormented animal.

As she snarled and whined at the Pam was able to somehow tell him with her eyes that he needed to let the other vampires approach the lot and take in the sight and seen that was before them. The dog stepped aside and growled a fierce and territorial sound.

"Oh, Lassie is upset by our presence." Pam turned to grin at William and Victor. "I think that we are safe to approach."

"The smell is overwhelming. There is an intense loss of blood by both Northman and the telepath." Victor breathed heavily as his eyes focused on the black, sticky pools that lay on the ground. He bent down and stuck his finger in one of the pools and held it to his nose. "This, this right here is equal parts Viking and human." He held the finger up and let the other two vampires gaze at this finger.

Just as he was getting up from the ground Bill pulled into the lot. His eyes were wild and focused on Pam. He needed to remember that she was not working for Victor, she was serving Eric. He slowly exited his car and walked towards them.

"Pam, how dare you step foot here. Eric was not pleased when I told him that you would be here." Bill glared at her and tried to strike her down with his eyes.

"Bill, I no longer care what Eric thinks or feels. Well, I guess that is not true. I care that he is feeling the loss of his human bonded. I hope he is suffering. I hope that he is thinking about all of the times I told him that she was not worth this love." Pam kept to her emotionless voice.

"I hope he strikes you dead when he see's you." Bill spat the words at her.

"Compton, do not speak to my employee that way. It is in your best interest to respect her, you never know what will happen in the coming days." Victor walked towards Pam and stood next to her. Her body ached with wanting to pummel him. She clenched her fists and shoved them into her perfectly pressed slacks. She looked a ther watch, it was 7:45. It would not be much longer.

"Tell me Bill, where is he? Should we be expecting him tonight? Or is he holed up, unable to handle the grief?" Pam let her eyes focus on Bill's, hoping that Eric was coming.

"I am right here Pamela." Eric voice was ragged and it was so very cold. "I am right here and ready to kill you for trespassing on this hallow ground." He stepped towards her and she flinched by the way he looked.

All of their eyes were focused on the sight of him. His hair was dried and matted by the blood. His jeans were filthy and stained, the smell on the jeans alone was almost rancid to their sensitive noses. His white skin was streaked with the marks that he never washed last night. Pam wanted to go to him and help him, but she knew now was not the time.

"Our deepest condolences Eric. We are so sorry for your loss." William actually sounded disturbed, enough to make Victor and Eric flash their eyes to him. Before anyone could move Eric was holding him off the ground by his neck.

"I do not want your sympathy. I want what none of you can provide me, I want my bonded. Do not offer me sympathy ever again." Eric threw him back to the pavement and watched him struggle to move.

"Eric, now is not the time for violence. Haven't you lost enough already?" Victor was sticking the knife in and twisting it. It took all Eric had to not tear him into pieces, slowly.

"Do not speak to me of loss Madden. I have lost everything, and I plan on a very sever and fatal punishment." Eric stared at him, hoping that he saw fear behind his eyes. Victor gave nothing away.

"Yes, I would only expect you to avenge her death. If you require assistance in that matter, I will be happy to provide my service." Victor gave a sideways grin. Offering his help was for pure pleasure.

They engaged in a staring match that was so intense that Pam felt the need to end it.

"Eric, don't you think you are a little underdressed to greet Felipe?" Pam looked him up and down and shook her head.

"I am sure that De Castro will understand my current situation." He looked to Pam and gave her a silent exchange, trying to see how much longer he needed to hold off taking Victor's life.

"Well, we will know soon enough. We expect him momentarily." Pam felt an ounce of tension release from him.

He couldn't stand to smell his love all over the place. Everywhere he went was her old blood. He shook his head as he remembered her laying on the ground. He berated himself for not being with her, shielding her, protecting her. He would never be able to forgive himself for not being there when this happened. It was his fault, he was too involved with figuring away to get to Victor himself. Why, why did he push her away when all she wanted to do was help him?

As the vampires survey the area a limousine pulled in. Felipe exited and inhaled the air around him. He was infuriated with what he saw before him. He had ordered everyone under him to make sure that she was always under protection. How could this have happened?

They bowed before him, but Eric just blankly stared at him. Felipe tilted his head when he noticed that Eric was not paying him the respect that he was accustomed to.

"Northman, explain how this has happened." The king sounded lethal.

"She left the bar alone, she took it upon herself to leave and she was alone. A sniper hit her three times. She lost too much blood. I tried my best to save her, but the loss of blood was to great. I weakened from my own blood loss and was unable to stay conscious." Eric let his eyes rim with read as he summarized the events to the king.

"And what happened next?" The king was enraged.

"When I woke she was dead next to me. She had no chance of survival, she was gone almost instantly. My trying to give her my blood was me being selfish, thinking I could still save her." Eric let his face go blank and let the emotions fall to the side.

"I ordered you to protect her. I was your job to ensure her safety." Felipe walked towards him and let his hand fly. He cracked Eric in the jaw and watched as the blood trickled from his mouth. Pam silently hoped that Amelia had done what was needed. If she did not it was very possible that all of them would be executed at the hands of the king.

"I failed her." That was the only response from Eric. He let his head drop and let out a growl that caused the other vampires to jump. "I have failed her. I allowed her to die!" He was becoming unglued and Pam was unsure if this was real or an act.

"I was here also king. I saw them and was unable to save her. I am responsible also. It was also my job to protect her with my life." Bill was ready to step up for any punishment that was needed. Eric quickly turned his eyes to him and watched as the king gave him the same lash that he had just received. Bill was not as strong as Eric and the blow caused him to fall to the ground. He was just as committed to this plan.

"Madden, why are you here. What business do you have here at this time?" The king turned his eyes to the other vampires.

"King, Pam came to me yesterday after having a falling out with her maker. I needed to make sure that what she was telling me about the death of the telepath was true. I also thought it best to check on the state of Area 5. I am sure that Northman will need my assistance during such a difficult time." Victor was as cool and calm as could be. His demeanor enraged Eric.

Eric leapt in the air and tackled Victor to the ground. He grabbed him by the neck and screamed at him. He could no longer hold back his hatred and his desire to kill him.

"You, you are responsible for this. You had her killed, you did this!" Victor looked into his crazed eyes and did not fight back. The king watched this situation and tried to figure out what was going on. Eric raised his fist into the air and tried to bring it down on Victor's skull. His outreached fist was grabbed in midair by the king.

"Eric, if you kill this vampire it will be your certain death. You have no proof regarding his involvement in the death of your bonded. There is no reason to kill him, other than your own stupidity. I highly suggest that you allow him to get up and be on his way back home." The kings voice was level and steady. "If you do not, I will see that I am the executioner to your final death."

"No, I know that Victor is responsible. I know that he had her killed, and I will not rest until he is punished." Eric could not release his grip.

"Proof, you have nothing Northman." Victor was treading on dangerous ground.

This doubt caused Eric to spill what he had been holding back.

"I know you did it. I know that you paid some human to kill either one of us. I have proof, and that proof will seal your fate." Eric began beating his head against the pavement.

"Enough! Someone had best tell me what is going on." Felipe had enough of the whatever this was.

"He did it, he ordered her death! He is responsible for her death. He swore to you that he would see her protected, and he deliberately caused her harm." His voice was hysterical with his words.

"You know nothing Viking. You are losing your mind. I would not harm a hair on her head per the orders from Felipe. King, obviously he is out of control." Victor kept himself calm and rational while Eric gripped his throat.

"Northman, I order you to release Victor. If you do not release him I will kill you right here." Felipe was looking between them, waiting for any quick motions. Eric heard the threat in his voice and held his hands in the air showing that he had released his prisoner. "Step away from him and stand by Compton." Eric obeyed.

The king turned his eyes towards William. He was concerned that he did not come to the defense of his Sheriff.

"William. I noticed that you are quite quiet this evening. Why are you not protecting your master? You have been with Victor for many, many years…yet you stand by and let another attack him? What do you have to say for yourself?" Felipe caught the scent of fear as William stood stock still.

"Um, your majesty…" The strain in his voice was apparent to everyone. Victors eyes widened and thought that he should step in.

"King, he is obviously in shock from the death of our famed telepath. Under normal circumstances he would always defend me." Victor eyed his second in command anxiously,

"I did not ask your opinion Madden. When I want to hear you I will ask you to speak. Right now I am waiting on an explanation for William." Felipe's eyes never looked away from the scared vampire.

"Yes…I am sorry your majesty." Pam looked at him and knew he was going to break. She silently took a step back and walked towards Eric and Bill. She knew that if William was going to confess it would be better for her to be out of reach of he and Victor. Eric watched her closely and knew that he was about to get his chance.

"King, I can not defend a master that so blatantly disobeyed your orders and set this death plan into motion. I am sorry king, I tried to stop him." William dropped his head and kneeled before his king.

"Liar! Liar, I should rip out your tongue for speaking such lies. This is obviously a plan between Eric and Pam and William. They are obviously planning on having me removed from my position. Northman must want to take over my Area! William, I will see your death!" Victor was panicking. Eric saw his chance and leapt at the vampire.

He landed with such force that Victor didn't know what hit him. Eric wrapped his hands around his throat and squeezed. Victor flailed and scratched at his hands. Victor tried to throw him from his body, but Eric was to enraged. He was going to finish the job and not even the king was going to interfere.

"I hope you suffer as much as we have. I will enjoy this very much, being the one to send you to your final death." Eric was smiling as he told Victor what he was going to do. In a quick and swift motion Eric ripped an arm from his body. Blood spewed all over him as Victor let out a blood curdling scream. 

"Eric, Eric…you must stop this. There is no proof that William is telling the truth. You are signing your own death sentence!" Felipe actually pleaded with him to stop the attack. Eric continued as if he heard nothing. He proceeded to rip the other arm from Victor's body and watch as he kicked his legs and yelled. He could sense Felipe behind him and knew it was time. He did not want to be stopped and he did not want to turn his anger on to the king.

He bent his head over Victor's armless body and looked into his terrified eyes.

"Madden, this is the last thing you will ever hear…she's alive. She is not dead, you did not win. You failed you son of a bitch." He knew Victor had heard him because his eyes went wide. Eric very effectively tore his head from his body with his bare hands. Victor was no more, his body began its disintegration. Eric watched in triumph as the body began to disappear. He let out an unnecessary sigh and let his body relax.

He thought that he would feel a great relief after he had ended Victor's life, but he felt nothing. He would feel no more until she was back with him, laughing, talking, loving him. He sensed a cold blade against the back of his neck and he knew what was happening.

Felipe held the tip of a sword right at the base of his neck and ordered him to rise. He slowly did what was commanded and turned to look at his king.

"You have committed a crime, and you did it in front of your king." Felipe stared at him with concern. "You have no proof other than the word of William that Victor was to blame. I have four subjects left, all claiming the other is responsible for her death. Since you were all ordered to protect her I have no choice but to punish you all."

At the same time they all tensed and noticed that they were alone with the king, and there was no physical proof that each was not responsible. Pam wondered where Amelia was, or if she had succeeded in her task. There was a very real possibility that everyone of them was going to meet their final death.

They stood side by side as the king looked them over, not sure which vampire he should send to their death first. He was not pleased to be put in this situation, but he needed to show that he would not tolerate any such behavior.

"Does anyone have anything to say?" Felipe waited for a response.

Eric was going to speak, if he was going to die tonight, he was going to make sure that the story was told. He wanted the king to know exactly where she was.


	29. Chapter 29

"_Yes, I would like to speak…I would like to be heard." He waited for the king to give him the ok to proceed. "King, Sookie is not dead. She is not well, and she seems to be in a very deep coma…but she lives. She took three shots last night and lost a great deal of blood, as you can see. I tried to save her and give her my blood to start her healing. I knew that there was a plan in motion to harm her. She heard the mind of the hired hit man in the bar. She knew that there was a contract out to kill her, or kill me. We sent some of our people out to gather any information possible. That is how we learned of Victor's involvement. Pam then went to Victor, telling a tale of a bitter end to our relationship." _

_William was paralyzed by the information he was hearing. She was alive, the plot failed…she was alive. He turned his face towards Pam and saw that he had been played. He was bitterly unhappy and ready to lash out. He held himself back as Felipe's sword could quickly cut him down._

"_Pam ingratiated herself with Victor and William in order to get anything that would help us stop the plan to harm us. We were too late, the man struck last night as she left the bar by herself. I was concerned with trying to figure out how to stop Madden without sacrificing Pam, I never heard her leave. I should have been with her when she left. Bill found us, we were both unconscious when he got here. He called for help and got Doctor Ludwig here to try and heal her. That may have saved her life and I will be grateful for that always." Eric looked at Bill so he could show him that he truly appreciated the help that he provided. "Felipe, she is alive. She is resting at my house, being watched over by her cousin." Eric waited for Felipe to speak, he was stoic._

"_So, she lives. But there is one small problem my subjects. There is still no proof of this very complicated plot that you speak of. I am happy to hear that she is still with us, and I am pleased to learn of your tireless efforts to save her. But, it was your responsibility to see that she was not harmed in the first place, all of you. I am sorry to have to deal such a heavy punishment. Please go to your death knowing that I will see to her care for the rest of her life. I will see that she wants for nothing and that she is protected from enemies of all sort. She is in good hands friend, she will be loved." _

_Eric could not stand to hear him speak of her in that way. She was his, he was the one that was going to see her cared for forever, he was going to protect her, he was going to love her. No one else was going to do those things, he would not hear of it. He began to speak again but was quickly silenced._

"_I know it is difficult to hear Eric, but do not fight it. Take comfort in knowing that she will be safe. Now please, kneel before me to accept your sentence." Felipe was going to send him to his final death with one swing of his sword. There was no help in sight, he resigned himself to the fact that he was leaving her. He pictured her face and her voice. He loved her with every part of his being, and he would die knowing that she loved him the same._

_He spent 1000 years searching for someone like her and now it was ending. He remembered the nights that they had made love, the laugh that had filled his undead heart and caused him to feel again. He always believed that the monster inside of him was going to prevent him from finding a love like her. But it was the monster inside of him that she was drawn to, and the monster that she had accepted. Regardless of what he was, he was lucky to have had her. He made peace with what was before him and cried one single tear for his love. He would have given everything up for her, and he was giving the ultimate sacrifice. He pushed a wave of pure love and loyalty through the bond, hoping that she would feel it. He kneeled before Felipe and heard Pam let out a cry._

"_Felipe, please. This was Victor, he planned this and I have proof coming. She's just a little late. Please, you must wait a moment longer. You will see that Victor's death was warranted. I can assure you that the proof is coming." Pam pleaded with him to hold off on his punishment. Eric stayed on his knee's._

_William and Bill just watched, not knowing if speaking would make the situation worse. They were both saying their silent goodbyes in their minds. Bill regretted every pain that he ever inflicted upon her. He also remembered the time that they had shared and the love that he felt for her. Bill pictured her the night she opened the door to him after her Gran's death. Bare feet, wet hair, completely natural, completely beautiful. He held that memory in his head and walked toward Eric. He kneeled next to him and awaited his fate along side his sheriff. They both loved her, they were both willing to give their lives in her honor. The two exchanged knowing glances and gave each other respectful nods._

_Pam could not be alone in her grief. She was going to be faithful right up until the end and she too would not allow her maker, her master, her friend to go to his final death alone. She was thankful that Eric chose her centuries ago to be his companion. He rescued her from a life that she was not willing to live. He gave her freedom, independence, and a life rich in love. She had tried to stop this from happening, but it did not work out as planned. She walked towards the kneeling vampires and lowered herself to the ground._

"_Thank you Sheriff. Thank you." She reached out her hand and gripped it around his. She held his hand tightly as she came to the realization that her proof was beyond late. There was nothing left to do other than wait for the sound of the king's sword swooping through the air._

"_Your allegiance to your Sheriff is astounding. I will be quick in order to spare you any pain. William, will you be joining them, or am I to carry out your sentence over there?" Felipe turned his eyes to the lone vampire. He walked towards him and saw that he was trembling from fear. He was in shock, he had wanted to stop this. He could not answer the king as his words would not come out. Felipe raised his arm and swung his heavy sword through the air._

_It caught William at the shoulder and quickly separated his head from the rest of his body. The sound was terrifying to the three kneeling. Pam cried as she heard William meet his final death. It was he that had provided her so much information. It was he that had been the honorable one, wanting to protect Sookie on orders from the king. He wanted redemption for his part in the plan to kill her. And in the end his fear and inability to defend himself was his undoing. Maybe if he could have spoke and provided some explanation to the king he could have survived, but Felipe was obviously wanting to get this done as quickly as possible._

_He walked back towards the three of them and again apologized. He went to raise his arm and swing his sword, but heard an unmistakable growl coming from behind him. He spun around and saw a very large lion crouching at the edge of the woods. The large cat was fixed on him, waiting for him to make a move. It looked like he was stalking his prey on the African savannah. Felipe was mesmerized by the large animal. He lowered the sword and started to walk towards the animal. He stopped in his tracks when the lion swung a massive paw at him and roared a body trembling roar._

_Headlights flashed into the parking lot, illuminating the three kneeling vampires. Amelia ran from the car and screamed as she saw the disintegrating, headless vampire. She had no idea if it was someone she knew._

"_Please, please… do not hurt them. I got it, I got what you needed." Amelia was hysterical as she saw Eric, Pam, and Bill kneeling before a long, sharp sword. Felipe pointed the weapon at her and slowly walked to her. He ripped the document from her hands and scanned it with his eyes. She thought it best to go and stand beside the vampires. He read for what seemed like an eternity. Amelia's breathing was heavy and petrified._

"_Northman, on your feet." Felipe yelled, never taking his eyes from the papers. Eric stood, not letting go of Pam's hand. "It does seem that there is quite a large price on the head of your beloved. A lofty bonus if you are to perish along with her. This contract is signed by Madden and a person by the name of Jeremiah Weston. It was witnessed by our departed William." Felipe raised his eyes and looked at Eric. "The death of Victor was warranted, he broke our laws by orchestrating her death. He disobeyed my rule and his punishment fit the crime. You are free to go as you wish, the others as well." Felipe nodded his head and motioned for Bill and Pam to rise._

"_You are a lucky Sheriff to have such loyalty, even up until the moment of your death. You should be proud of their willingness to serve you in anticipation of the end. I do not want to hear again that Miss Stackhouse is left alone and in danger, am I understood?" Felipe watched as the three vampires nodded in agreement. "It was a pleasure to see you all again, despite the evenings events." Felipe walked towards his limo and scanned the lot for the large cat. He spotted the loin lounging on the other side of the pavement, stretching its paws and flexing its back. He thought about who this lion could be and he was sure that he was there to distract him from dealing his punishment too early. He got in his car and drove away, leaving the four of them to themselves._

_They all turned to look at Eric, not knowing what to do or say. He looked at each one of them, Amelia included._

"_Thank you…I am forever grateful for your loyalty. I will not forget the selflessness that you have shown me. Thank you, each of you." Eric's voice was cracking under the pressure._

_Pam took his hand and bowed in front of him. He would have nothing like this, he did the unusual act of hugging her. She was still for a moment, unsure of his response, her arms hanging at her side. She quickly realized that he was overcome by the emotions and she hugged him back, letting her arms wrap around him in appreciation. The fear that had been locked inside of her since the moment she walked into Victor's was released. Pam felt a tear fall from her eye, she was safe._

_Eric released her and kissed her on the forehead, like a father kissing a child. He turned his glance towards Bill and held out his hand. Bill accepted and shook it mightily. They may not see eye to eye, and they may love the same woman, but tonight they were something new. They were close to being friends. Bill had come through for him and he would not forget his level headedness in getting help for her. He was more than appreciative. The three vampires smiled at one another, happy that they had survived._

_Pam turned to Amelia. She was still standing there, unable to tear her eyes away from what had just happened. "I'm sorry I was late." She didn't know what else to say. Pam grabbed her and hugged her too, Amelia had saved them._

"_Better late than never." Pam once again sounded her usual self. Amelia laughed and hugged her back._

"_I had a hard time making a key, well a magical key, I was afraid that I was too late. When I read the papers I knew exactly what was happening. Life and death, right?" Amelia pulled out of Pam's hug and smiled at her._

"_I must go, I must be with her." Eric looked to them and thanked them again. He walked towards the lion, knowing that Sam had played a large part in staying their execution. He watched as the lion started to take on his human shape. Sam nodded to him, accepting his thanks. He took to the sky and flew his way home. He was safe, he was going to tell her that Victor was no longer a threat. He needed to see his love._

_TBC…._


	30. Chapter 30

He sat beside her for days, night after night he held her and cradled her. She had been under for three days. His concern grew greater with every passing hour. He could not accept that she may not wake. He stroked her hair and spoke to her softly. He told her of the events with Felipe and with Victor. He told her that Pam was safe, and that Bill had saved them.

He sat in a chair beside the bed and buried himself in his hands. He was so tired and just wanted to hear her voice. He kept his face buried, not wanting to look at the emptiness of the room.

He felt something on his leg. He jumped slightly as he did not expect to feel anything. He looked down and saw her hand reaching for him. He blinked his eyes, not sure if he was imagining things. Her face, her eyes, they were focused on him and she was smiling. She went to say something but he could not allow it. He reached for her and kissed her, he kissed her with everything he had. Tears fell from his eyes as he felt her kiss him back.

He was out of the chair and holding her in his arms. He did not want to let her go, he was afraid that she would slip away again. He wept as she wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. She kissed him back and felt her own eyes filling with tears.

"My love, you are with me. Sookie, don't ever leave me again. I can not handle the pain of not having you beside me. My love, thank you. I love you. I love you, dear one." He rocked her back and forth, rubbing her body everywhere to be sure that she was with him.

"Eric, what happened?" She knew that she felt fine, the last thing she remembered was leaving Fangtasia.

"You were shot. You were injured, almost fatally. I did my best to save you. I should have been there to protect you. You were almost killed. I can not be without you. I can not live without you. I love you." His voice was full of intensity as he kissed her everywhere.

"What day is it?" She had no sense of how long she was not awake.

"It is Friday lover. You have been out since Tuesday, it has been three days. I have been with you every night, not leaving your side. Claudine and Amelia have watched over you during the day." He carried her into the bathroom, wanting to wash away the past.

She held him tightly and wondered why she felt so good for someone that had been in a coma for three days recovering from gunshot wounds. She tried to remember the night of the attack, but it was just blank. Now she knew that frustration that Eric had felt when he could not remember their time together.

He turned the hot water on and filled the tub. He went back to her, not wanting to let her go. He knelt in front of her and brushed the hair away from her face. He dragged the tips of his fingers over her face, lightly touching her warm skin. He took her face in his hands and pulled her into his kiss. He felt her body, felt it respond to his touch. He shivered as he blocked out the memory of her laying before him, blood covered.

"Eric, I love you. I love you so much. Thank you for taking care of me." She pressed her mouth back to his and felt his cool tongue slip inside. It felt like coming home, like she had been without his touch for ever. He was feeling the same, across their bond came the love and the relief that they were together. He felt the rush of emotion and knew that this is what he had been missing. Since she was hurt the bond was almost silent. Feeling their emotions healed them both. It was a rush of pure love and thankfulness. Never had they loved more intensely.

They slipped into the water and held each other, not wanting to let go. He washed her hair and cleaned her body. She was really with him. He kissed the back of her neck as she laid back on him. She turned to him and took his hand in hers. She kissed his palms and lowered his hands to her breasts. He pulled back, afraid that she was too fragile to handle his attention.

"Please, I need you to touch me. I need you to make love to me, right now. I am not going to break. I need you." She breathed in his ear and took his mouth in hers. He responded by pulling her on top of him and returning his hands to her breasts. She sighed as she felt his cool hands on her body.

He lowered his mouth to her neck and kissed the scar that was now formed. He ran his fingers over the newest scar and ran his tongue over it. He kissed her breasts and sucked gently. She moaned with the pleasure that she had missed so much.

She arranged herself on his lap and lowered herself on to his very hard erection. She knew that he would feel too timid to take her, so she took the lead. His eyes widened as he felt himself slip inside of her. He thought that he would reach his climax instantly as she settled herself on him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and began to rock herself gently on him.

She kissed him deeply and passionately, letting her tongue linger in his mouth. He moaned her name and massaged her back as she moved over his length. He held her tightly to him. There naked chests pressed forcefully together. He began to move her, raising her and lowering her as he clung to her body.

She felt her body begin to tingle and she knew that she was ready to release. She took his face in her hands and looked at him, his eyes pressed firmly together.

"Look at me lover," She spoke softly and he met her eyes. "I love you Eric Northman. I heard you begging me to stay with you, and that is what kept me here. I love you, and I will love you until I am no more. Until death parts us, my love." She moaned as her release was starting. She increased the pace of her movement and felt his body respond. A red tear was running down his cheek.

"My bonded, I love you more today that I thought possible. Oh god, Sookie…I will never let harm come to you again. I love you, I love you…" He kissed her and they both reached the end together. He shouted his love and gripped her body. They lay in each others arms, not realizing that water was now covering the bathroom floor. They trembled as aftershocks rippled through them.

When they finally got out of the water he made sure that she was steady on her feet. She laughed at him and reassured him that she felt stronger and better than she had in years. She truly was fine, you would not have known that she was before death three nights ago.

She then knew that she was hungry, she felt a hunger like she had not felt before. Her stomach growled for some piece of nourishment. He smiled as he heard the rumbling from deep inside of her. They dressed and walked down the stairs. Pam and Bill were seated at the kitchen table. She did not expect visitors, she did not expect to see Bill. She did not remember Eric telling her about the fact that Bill had help save them.

She grabbed for Eric's hand, unsure of what she should do. Bill tensed when he saw her reaction.

"Sookie, I am so happy to see you up and about." Bill was beyond ecstatic to see her.

"Thank you. I'm happy to be up and about too." She was being cautious. She looked towards Eric for how to react.

"Lover, Bill was quite important to us the other night. He was the one that found us in the parking lot. He called Doctor Ludwig and got you help. He helped me and he helped you. I am very thankful that it was he that found us." Eric was soft and genuinely thankful.

She looked at him and thought she remembered Bill's voice telling her to hold on. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you. I don't really know what to say except, thank you." She kissed him on the cheek and looked at him.

"It was my pleasure to assist you when you were in need. I am just happy that I wasn't too late. You were both in bad shape, I'm thankful that I got there in time." Bill hugged her again, just to make sure that she was really ok.

She stepped back and took Eric's hand again, squeezing his fingers.

"And Pam, Pam got us the information that we needed to prove that Victor was behind all of this. She brought Victor to me and allowed me to dispose of him. She saw to it that we would be spared. Pam risked her life for us, for our life together." Eric spoke proudly of his child.

She walked towards her and stood before Pam. She very clearly remembered the fear that she had felt when she learned that Pam was going to take on Victor alone. Her eyes filled with tears as she remembered how upset Eric was with the situation. That was when she ran from him, left the bar alone, walked out into the open night air. She closed her eyes and remembered hearing the click of the trigger right before the first shot rang out. Her body shook as she felt the bullet tear through her leg.

Eric felt the fear come across the bond, he rushed to her side and gathered her up. She wrapped herself around him and explained that she remembered the shots. She remembered how angry he was that he couldn't stop Pam from risking her undead life. She turned to Pam and hugged her tightly. She was so happy that she was safe and that Eric wouldn't have to feel that pain again.

"Pam, I am so glad that you are safe. You shouldn't have gone to Victor. You shouldn't have done that. You have no idea how worried he was, we were. You could have been killed, you could be dead!" She cried on Pam's straw hair.

"Sookie, honey…I'm already dead" Pam's voice was back to monotone and bored.

She smiled at Pam and knew that was her way of accepting her thanks. She laughed and walked towards the fridge. She was starving, she hadn't eaten in days. Eric met her at the open door of the fridge and motioned for her to sit down. He didn't want her doing anything. He pulled out everything to make her a protein filled snack. Eggs, cheese, spinach…he wanted her to get stronger and he knew that this would satisfy her hunger.

He quickly cooked for her and placed the plate in front of her. The smell permeated her nose and she knew it would taste as good as it smelled. He kissed her on the head and sat next to her, not wanting to take his eyes off of her.

The doorbell rang, they all jumped a little as no one knew who was expected. His fangs ran down and he stood to stand in front of her. Pam and Bill were also quickly in battle mode. Pam approached the door cautiously, she smelled the air around the entry. She knew what was on the other side of the door and she was no longer worried. She swung the door open and allowed the person to enter.

"Eric, what day is it?" Pam yelled into the kitchen.

"Pamela, you know very well that it is Friday." Eric was not amused. He still did not know who was at his private residence.

"Exactly, it is _Friday._ Weren't you expecting a special visitor around eight o'clock on _Friday._" Pam's words finally made sense. He had completely forgot that he had planned a private ceremony for he and his beloved. He rushed to the door and saw Abraham patiently waiting in the entry way.

"Friend, it has been too long. Forgive my lapse of memory. We have had quite a week here and it is unfortunate that I failed to remember what I had planned for tonight. Please, come in and meet my love." Eric was thrilled to see his friend.

"Think nothing of it Eric. Would it be better to reschedule the ceremony? I hate to intrude if this is not a good time." His voice was heavy with an accent.

"No, please. I hope that we will be able to have the ceremony. I am sure that we will be ready." Eric walked next to him as they made there way into the house.

She stood at the table, not sure of who Eric was speaking to. She had not heard this voice before. She was nervous and anxious, still unsettled from her memories. He walked into the kitchen and she could tell by the look on his face that this visitor was a welcome one.

"Lover, I would like you to meet Abraham." He looked at her and beamed.

"Sookie, I have heard so much about you. I am pleased to finally meet the woman that has tamed this Viking." His accent thick and beautiful. She smiled and took in his appearance. He was just as beautiful as Eric. His hair was slightly shorter than his, but the color was so similar. Also, his height was close to that of Eric's. Eric was maybe an inch taller than him. If she didn't know better she would have thought she was looking at Eric's brother, but he had told her of his family and their natural deaths.

"It's very nice to meet you." She did not hold out her hand as she could clearly see that Abraham was a vampire. He was a beautiful Viking, just like her love.

"Abraham is here to perform a Viking ceremony for us. I had wanted it to be a very romantic surprise, but things happened. In my culture it was very important that we were married on a Friday, in honor of Frigg. She is the Goddess of marriage." He looked at her and smiled as she stared at the second Viking.

"Eric, we could have been married on a Friday, you never mentioned this to me. I would have been happy to marry you on a Friday. Why didn't you tell me?" She turned her eyes to his.

"Lover, our plans involved getting married, in the traditional humans sense tomorrow. I will marry you any day of the week and have guests and celebration. I wanted to do this for us, for me and my beliefs." He was speaking softly.

"Would it be a legal ceremony if Abraham marries us tonight?" She eyed him and smiled.

"Of course it would. Abraham has the legal right to marry anyone, as long as it is legal in the state the ceremony is held in. He is not just ceremonial, lover. Abraham has the same legal right to marry as a priest, or justice of the peace." He touched his hand to her face and softly caressed her cheek.

"If this ceremony is legal than I want to marry you tonight, and only tonight. I don't need to stand before anyone tomorrow and repeat what I have already committed to. Would you be ok with calling the rest off. Would that be alright? I don't feel like I need to have anyone else around us. I want to marry you right now." She took the hand that was rubbing her cheek and she kissed it softly.

"Jag älskar dig" He spoke I love you in Swedish. She had heard that enough times to know what it meant.

"Jag älskar dig" She repeated back to him, kissing him softly.

Pam and Bill watched as they decided that they would be married right then. Pam looked to Eric and smiled, knowing that he was truly and completely happy. Bill looked to Sookie and saw that she was absolutely glowing, this really was what she wanted.

"Well, since the two of you will be tying the knot tonight, we must get Sookie ready. Eric, I'm sorry but you are going to have to let her go so I can see that she is presentable." Pam walked towards them and took Sookie's hand, dragging her towards the stairs.

"Certainly, do not be gone too long lover. Hoppas vi träffas snart" He smiled at her as she looked at him funny.

"Honey, that means that he hopes to see you soon. Let's go get ready." Pam translated the words and rushed her up the stairs. She sat her down on the bed and looked at her. "Sookie, he loves you with everything that he has. I am very pleased that you will be marrying him and pledging yourself to him." Pam still spoke with no emotion. She grabbed a curling iron from the bathroom and turned it on so it could get hot. She went to the closet and removed the dress that Eric had bought her for their wedding.

"Pam, should I still wear that dress? Eric had bought that for me to wear to our wedding tomorrow. Is it right to wear something that was meant for another day?" She was unsure what to do.

"I think that it would make him very proud to see you in this gown. He will think nothing that it was for a different day." Pam was being overly talkative.

"Ok, I love this dress." She looked at the box with such adoration. Pam began to work her hair into soft flowing curls, making sure to keep it as natural looking as possible. The blood that she took from Eric when she was dying had made her hair look even pallor that usual. It looked and felt like silk, it looked healthy.

Pam helped her apply a very small amount of makeup and looked at her as she glowed in her happiness. Pam realized that she was slightly underdressed for this occasion. She looked at herself wearing a butter yellow sweater set and khaki pants and frowned.

She noticed Pam's expression and went over to her closet, opened the doors wide, and ran her fingers through the hanging pieces.

"Pam, take anything you want. Eric bought most of this stuff, and this over here is my old stuff. Please, whatever you want." She motioned her head for her to come over ad browse the articles.

Pam looked through the closet and went right for the stuff that Eric had purchased, she knew that he had perfect taste. Pam ran her hands over a champagne colored sheath dress. It was sleeveless and had a small amount of sequence around the hem line. Eric had bought this for her when they went to a very fancy restaurant for Valentine's day. It had only been worn once. She had matching heels that were bought specifically for that dress. She smiled at Pam's choice.

"Thank you Sookie." She plucked the dress from the closet and immediately stripped her clothing off. Pam was about as shy as Eric.

"Pam, do you want to see the ring that I got for him?" She smiled at her and was very excited to pull out the little gift bag. She reached to the top of the closet and pulled the bag out from behind on old purse. Pam's eyes lit up while she anticipated the contents of the bag.

She carefully opened the box and held it out to Pam. She thought that she saw a trace of red fill Pam's eyes.

"He is going to love it. It is absolutely perfect, it looks like it was made just for him. It is very old, and it looks like it is something from his home land. I do believe that this is the design of a _hlaut-teinn_. He will never take it off." Pam's fangs had run out slightly as she eyed the antique band.

"As soon as I saw it I knew it should be his. It just felt right. I was going to get him something a little more fancy, you know with diamonds and stuff. But, this just seemed like it was his." She closed the box and placed it on the bed.

"Come, it is time to put that gown on and get married." Pam took her hand and led her to the floor length mirror. She let out an anxious breath and felt her stomach do a flip. She watched as Pam dropped the gown over her head and zipped the dress up the back. She was spectacular, absolutely perfect.

They heard a knock at the door and Eric's voice coming from the other side. "May I come in?" He sounded just as nervous as she felt. She wasn't sure what the tradition was about seeing the bride before the wedding in a Viking ceremony, but she didn't care.

"Please!" She heard the door open and felt his presence in the room. She also heard a very human, very unnecessary gasp. She turned to face him and just about melted when she saw his face. He was in awe of her beauty.

"Du är vacker…you are beautiful. I have never seen anything like you right now. My love, I may skip the ceremony all together and have you all to myself." His fangs were fully extended and his eyes were searing into her.

"I'm thinking that you can have me all to yourself as soon as we get this show on the road." She walked towards him and felt his arms reach out to hold her. She felt like everything in her world was right.

Just as promised, he was wearing the black suit that she had requested. She was happy that she had decided to wear the gown. He was more beautiful that she had ever expected. His gorgeous mane was pulled loosely back with a black string. His eyes were like sapphires, boring down on her.

"Lover, I have something for you to wear. This is tradition and it is very important to me. He walked to his closet and removed a box, acting as gentle as she had ever seen him. Whatever the box held was very fragile. He slipped on a pair of fine knit gloves and he lifted the lid to the box and carefully removed the contents.

"My love, this belonged to my mother. This is a bridal crown, or bruderkrone. My mother wore this the day she married my father, and her mother wore it as well." He looked at the ornate crown and she thought she saw the pain of lost family come across his face. She was absolutely speechless as her eyes grew wide. She had never seen anything so elaborate and she was afraid to go near it.

The crown was made of the most stunning silver, which is why he was wearing gloves. The tips of the crown had delicate gem stones, although the crowns age was showing in the stones. It was beautiful, it was a piece of his history, and now it was a piece of hers. Her eyes welled as she gazed at the delicate heirloom.

"It's amazing. I can't believe that you have had this for all these years. Are you sure that you want me to wear this? What happens if I break it, or it falls, or…" He cut her off with a kiss. He kissed her softly and sweetly.

"My love, if something happens at least I will have seen you in one of my most treasured possessions. I have saved this for 1000 years, and never knew if I would find someone worthy enough to even see it. You are my love, the reason I rise each night, my entire existence. My mother would be proud to have you wear this treasure." He looked in her eyes and placed the crown on top of her head. Pam came over took the gloves from Eric, she pinned the crown softly to her golden head.

She looked in the mirror and tears of joy streamed down her face. She looked like a princess. She never thought that her life would turn out the way it had. She never thought that her husband to be would be a 1000 year old Viking. She never thought that her life would be filled with violence and murder and treachery. She also never thought that she would love someone so completely that her entire world would feel so incomplete without him. She turned to her Viking and took his hand.

"Lets go get married." She wiped the tears from her face and squeezed his hand to let him know that she was ready. Pam picked the ring box up of the bed and carried with her. They walked down the stairs and saw Abraham waiting for them.

He was wearing a red velvet cloak, adorned with gold and green silk cords. His blond hair grazed the tops of his shoulders and his eyes were as blue as Eric's. He watched them float down the stairs and smiled as she approached.

"Du är vacker, Miss Stackhouse." She smiled as she now knew what he was saying and gave him a very sincere thank you. She looked around the room, it had been dimmed, illuminated only by candlelight. Bill was sitting in a chair near the fireplace. He had changed into a vary handsome blue suit. He rose as she entered the room and walked towards her.

"Sookie, you look amazing. I never thought that I would be able to say this, but I wish you and Eric nothing but happiness. He loves you, more than I realized. It took seeing you almost die in his arms to get the point into my head. I will love you until my final death, but it will be a love that I can take. I will speak no more of the fear that I had when you told me that you loved him. I know now that he would sacrifice his life to protect you. Congratulations Sookie." Bill bent down and kissed her softly on the cheek. She shivered as she felt his cool lips against her skin. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you Bill. I hope that someday you will find someone that makes you happy. You have no idea how much that meant to me. I will love you too, just not the way I love Eric. Thank you." She released him and turned her eyes back to her lover.

She joined him in front of Abraham and took his hands. Eric nodded to Abraham and he started the ceremony. He did not carry a book of religion as she had always seen. He looked from her to him and began to speak in his native language. She had no idea what he was saying, but she knew that Eric was listening intently to every word that came out of his mouth.

Eric smiled and nodded when he heard something that was particularly endearing. He would squeeze her hand and he would look in her eyes and push pure love through their bond. She would feel the love and squeeze his hand in return.

Abraham spoke eloquently and slowly, making sure that everyone in the room could hear him. Only Pam and Eric knew what he was actually saying, but it was no less beautiful. Abraham them suddenly switched his verse into English and looked to her.

"Sookie, we are going to start the wedding vows. Eric would like to recite these vows to you in English as he wants you to know every word that he speaks. Eric, you may begin." He looked to Eric and patted him on the shoulder. He looked to his love and the pure white of his eyes turned noticeably pink.

"My love, my Bonded, my everything. I have searched for you for everyday of my long existence. When I finally found you I knew that my world was forever changed. You made my body feel things that I never thought I would feel again. Your soul became my soul. I will love you and honor you each day of our lives. You shall want for nothing and I will serve your every wish. I am forever humbled to be in your life and I will tell you and show you everyday and night just how much I love you. Dear one, lover, friend, I am forever yours. I love you." A red tear escaped his eye and slid down his smooth white cheek. She reached up and touched the tear gently, wiping it from his face. Abraham turned to her and nodded for her to proceed.

She had never thought about what she would say to him when they got married. She felt secure knowing that traditional vows were repeated from a leather bound book. She took a deep breath and said everything that she was feeling in her heart.

"Eric, you are my life, my soul, my bonded. I have never been as happy as I am when I am with you. You mean everything to me and I am thankful that we were able to find each other. You showed me a way of life that I never knew existed. You made me feel things that I never knew were possible. My life is complete, you made my life complete. I love you more than I thought it was possible. Eric, I am yours…and you are mine. I will honor you and love you everyday. I am yours, always. I love you." Tears streamed down her face, she couldn't hold her emotion back. He looked at her and cried more tears as he heard her declare himself to her. It was perfect.

Abraham began speaking and told a tale of the importance of the wedding ring. It is the universal symbol for never ending love. He motioned to Eric to proceed with the exchanging of rings. Pam stepped up beside him and handed him a heavy, ornate sword. He took it in his hand and kissed the hilt. Pam handed him the ring that she was to wear for the rest of her life. Pam then took his ring from her hand and handed it to her.

Abraham instructed them to place the rings on the hilt of the sword, and he blessed them in his native language. Eric almost bowed to the sword as he heard the words. He then picked up her ring and took her left hand in his.

"My love, this ring is a symbol of my complete and unending love for you. My faithfulness and my respect. I offer you this ring, a perfect circle, a perfect love. There is nothing that I would not do for you lover. Take this ring, honor me by wearing this everyday of your life. I will love you for always, we are one…until death parts us." He slipped the ring on and kissed the finger that bared it.

She held his ring in her hand and took his left hand in hers.

"Eric, please, wear this ring as a symbol of our love. A symbol of my devotion and my faithfulness. It will tell all that we are one, until death parts us." She slipped the ring on and squeezed her hands around it. He looked at the ring and was astonished. He recognized the design and brought their hands to his lips.

"It is a hlaut-teinn_, _the minute I saw it I knew it needed to be yours." She spoke softly, only to him.

"Lover, it will be my most treasured possession. I love you." He welled with her ability to still surprise him. The ring was exactly what he would have picked out for himself. It showed him just how much she knew him, he was speechless.

"Eric, Sookie…you have exchanged the symbols of your love and you have vowed yourself to one another for always. You have willfully and knowingly committed yourself to each other. I am honored to tell you that you are officially wed. Eric, I know that I do not have to tell you, but you can kiss your wife." Abraham had allowed his fangs to run down in his happiness.

Eric took her in his arms and kissed her a kiss that could only be shared by husband and wife. He held her and kissed her and loved her. She let her hands go to his hair and released the string that held it back from his face. She felt it fall over her skin and she inhaled its intoxicating scent.

Bill and Pam applauded their marriage. They watched as they stood wrapped in each others arms, joined by their lips and their love. They silently looked at each other, knowing that they should make themselves scarce, and quickly. They were out of the house before anyone could notice they were gone.

They held each other and kissed for an obscene amount of time. They never noticed that Pam, Bill, and Abraham had left them alone. They were only aware of each other, Mr. and Mrs. Northman. He took her hand in his and kissed her wedding ring.

He lifted her off the ground and cradled her in his arms. He carried her up the stairs and walked them into their bedroom, laying her gently on their bed. He carefully helped her remove the crown from her head, allowing her to place it back in the protective box.

She stood before him and unzipped her gorgeous gown, the dress pooled at her fit as she stood naked in front of him. He looked at her body and admired his new wife.

"My wife, there is nothing more stunning than you before me, wearing nothing but a wedding ring. Did you read the inscription?" He kissed her body as she took the ring from her finger to view the delicate script.

_Until Death Parts Us_

They made love until the sun rose, he carried her to his daytime bed and wrapped them in their afghan. He kissed his wife and thanked any god that would listen for her.

Her was hers, she was his, they were one…until death parts them.

END…


End file.
